In New York we mostly go out to eat or grab a meal the someone else has prepared. Now that we are cooking every meal indoors here are some suggestions to create some comport and fun.
Parmesan Muffins
You don’t need a whole lot to make these. And chances are you already have most of the ingredients in your fridge/pantry!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients:
- Parmesan cheese – freshly grated, pretty please!
- Instant yeast
- Milk
- Sugar
- Flour
- An egg
- Butter
- Seasonings: salt, pepper, oregano and thyme.
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, combine the warm milk, sugar and yeast.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the flour, parmesan, salt, pepper and herbs in a large bowl. Reserve.
- When the yeast is bubbly and smelling like beer, add the egg and melted butter and whisk until well combined.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir or whisk until smooth.
- Do not overmix.
- Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or grease with oil.
- Pour the batter into the muffin tray, being careful not to fill it all the way to the top.
- You can sprinkle the muffins with extra parmesan and herbs, if desired.
- Cover the tray and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once dough has risen, bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let them cool slightly. Then, remove the muffins from the tray to a cooling rack so they can cool more.
- Serve warm!
Red Wine Beef Stew.
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds of beef, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Syrah
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 10 medium carrots (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 pounds baby white or red potatoes, halved
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper, place in a large bowl, and toss with the flour.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or wide-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Cook the meat, in batches, until well browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes, transferring the pieces to a plate as they are browned. Pour off and discard any drippings from the pot.
- Add the tomato paste, wine, broth, onion, bay leaves, thyme, and 2 of the carrots and bring to a boil. Return the meat and any juices back to the pot (the meat should be barely submerged in liquid), cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours.
- Using tongs, remove and discard the cooked vegetables. Add the potatoes and the remaining 8 carrots to the pot, cover, and return to the oven. Cook until the meat and vegetables are fork-tender, about 1 hour more.
Cherry clafoutis. This French dessert is a cross between a pudding, a cake and a soufflé. It is traditionally made with cherries, but you can replace with apples, pears, peaches or your favorite fruit.
Ingredients:
3 medium eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)
2 tbsp. butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup pitted fresh or frozen (thawed) cherries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs lightly, then drizzle in milk, continuing to whisk.
3. Add vanilla and (if using) almond extract, then whisk in melted butter.
4. Pour in sugar in a slow stream, continuing to whisk, then do the same with flour.
5. Whisk until smooth.
6. Lightly grease a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan or cast-iron skillet with butter, then pour in batter.
7. Scatter cherries evenly over the top, letting them sink partway into the batter.
8. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until clafoutis is golden-brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. To serve, let cool slightly, then cut into wedges.
Molten Dulce De Leche Cakes For Two!
prep time: 5 minutes cook time: 15 minutes total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dulce de leche
- A pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons flour
- Butter and flour for greasing and dusting the ramekins
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Grease and flour 2 to 4 ramekins (depending on the size of your ramekins). Reserve.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks and vanilla extract until creamy and pale.
- Add the dulce de leche and salt and continue whisking until smooth. Then, add the flour and gently whisk or fold with a wooden spoon, being very careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins, leaving a little space on top for the cakes to grow.
- Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the edges are set but the center is still jiggly. Remove from oven and let the dulce de leche cakes cool for about 1 minute.
- Run a sharp knife around the cakes and flip them into individual plates.
- Garnish with powdered sugar and fresh berries, if desired, and serve.