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Menu Plan for Winter II: Week 10, Saturday
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Daily Recipes:
Spinach en Croute with Tomato Sauce
Tournedos with Creamy Brown Sauce
Potatoes Savoyard
Sautéed Sunchokes
Cooking time: 75 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
This is an easy dinner with parts that can be done in advance if you chose. The Spinach en Croute can be assembled, covered with film and refrigerated until baking time, the sauce can be made earlier and reheated and the potatoes can be cooked for longer in a slower oven (90 minutes at 350F (180C).
Spinach en Croute with Tomato Sauce
Total time: 25 minutes
En Croute is in a crust or case. It's a wonderful way to cook a lot of foods, it can be assembled earlier and baked at the last minute and it's always impressive. Plus, if you buy the pastry, it's easy. If made ahead, brush with egg just before baking.
Ingredients:
- 1 - 2 sheets of puff pastry, you'll need 2 sheets about 7" (17cm) square. If they are not big enough you can roll them out a bit (using a rolling pin). You could also use a large square cut from corner to corner as a triangle.
- 7oz (210gr) frozen spinach
- 4oz (120gr) ricotta cheese )
- 1 egg
- pinch nutmeg
- Tomato Sauce:
- 2 cups (15oz, 450gr) whole tomatoes
- 2 shallots
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbs red wine
Instructions
- Thaw spinach and squeeze dry.
- In a medium bowl lightly beat the egg.
- Remove 1 tbs of beaten egg to a small bowl or measuring cup.
- Add spinach, nutmeg and ricotta to bowl with remaining egg and mix well.
- Prepare pastry if necessary (roll, cut, whatever, to get the size you need).
- Mound half of the spinach mixture into the center of each pastry sheet.
- Bring corners together over top and press together, making a little parcel. You want to seal the corners or tips but not all the seams, so that it can expand but not come apart.
- Brush the top with the little bit of beaten egg you reserved.
- Put the parcels on a baking sheet and bake at 400F (200C) for 15 - 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
- Tomato Sauce:
- Finely chop shallots and garlic.
- Heat oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Drain the tomatoes, discarding juice.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the saucepan, along with the juices from chopping and the rest of the ingredients.
- Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Purée (either with a blender or immersion blender)
- Remove Spinach Pastries when done and serve with the tomato sauce on the side.
Filet Mignon or Tournedos with Creamy Brown Sauce
Total time: 20 minutes
This is based on a main course from years ago, at one of my favorite restaurants in Minneapolis. They didn't give me the recipe.... The steaks are sliced thinly, for tenderloin, and cooked quickly to stay medium-rare. Serve on a bed of mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 4 slices beef tenderloin, each 1 inch thick (2.5 cm), 12oz (360gr) total weight
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) red wine
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef stock
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) milk or cream
Instructions:
- The sauce: Thinly slice shallots and mince garlic.
- Heat 2 tsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and thyme and sauté 1 - 2 minutes.
- Add red wine and simmer until reduced by half.
- Add beef stock and simmer until reduced by half.
- Add tomato paste, mustard and mix well.
- Dissolve cornstarch in milk or cream and add to sauce, stirring until thick.
- Spoon into a bowl and set aside.
- Rinse out the skillet for the steaks.
- The steaks: Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in the skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add steaks and sauté 1 minute per side.
- Spoon the sauce over the steaks, cover and simmer 1 - 3 minutes longer, depending on how you like them done.
- To serve: Put 2 steaks on each plate and spoon a little sauce over top.
- Put the rest of the sauce in a sauce boat and serve on the side.
Potatoes Savoyard
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Another recipe that I have been making so long the origin is lost. I prefer it to the traditional gratin potatoes. With out the milk and heavy cream it's much lighter in calories, but the Gruyère keeps it cheesy and the onions add another layer of flavor. This makes enough for two meals... or 4 people.
Ingredients:
- 4 medium potatoes (24oz, 720gr)
- 1 large onion or 2 small
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 4oz (120gr) Gruyère, sliced (10 slices app. 1" x 3" x 3/16th thick", cm=2.5x7.5x0.3)
- 1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) chicken stock
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/3 cup (1.5oz, 45gr) grated Parmesan
Instructions:
- Thinly slice the onions and garlic.
- Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender and just starting to brown.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- With a sharp knife or mandolin thinly slice the potatoes.
- In a glass baking dish just large enough to hold ingredients (I use an 8" X 11" (20 X 27.5cm) oval baking dish) lay 1/3rd of the potatoes, spread half of the sautéed onions over the potatoes and lay half of the cheese on the onions.
- Repeat once.
- Top with remaining 1/3 of the potatoes.
- Sprinkle the nutmeg over the top.
- Pour the stock over all, sprinkle with Parmesan, cover with foil and bake at 425F (215C) for 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 400F (200C) and continue baking another 30 minutes.
- Remove foil for last 15 minutes of baking.
- Remove from oven, let rest 5 minutes, then serve.
Note: You could also bake longer in a slower oven - 90 minutes at 350F (180C)
Sautéed Sunchokes
Total time: 30 minutes
These are a fairly new vegetable for us. They are just starting to come back to the markets now. I love the flavor, they are easy to fix and keep well in the fridge - perfect winter vegetable.
Ingredients:
- 3 - 4 Jerusalem artichokes aka sunchokes
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 - 6 fresh sage leaves substitute 1 tbs dried
Instructions:
- Peel sunchokes using a vegetable peeler.
- Leave whole and put into a steamer basket over hot water.
- Steam 20 minutes or until just tender when pierced with a sharp knife. They may get a little grayish on the outside - no problem.
- When done remove and cut into 1/4" (.6cm) slices.
- Mince garlic.
- Chop sage leaves if using fresh.
- Melt butter in nonstick skillet. Add garlic and sage and sauté 1 minute.
- Add sunchoke slices and sauté 5 - 10 minutes, until just starting to brown.
- Remove and serve.
Cooking Schedule: 75 minutes for menu |
Sauté shallots, garlic, thyme for steak |
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