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The divas didn't really have a theme this month. They just had dinner. A delicious, warm, hearty dinner for a cold December night and a fitting celebration of the fact that they actually found a December date where at least half of them could get together. Yay!
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Poached Egg with Bacon and Leek Risotto
(a combination of recipes from Bon Appetit and Smitten Kitchen)
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large or 3 smaller leeks, quartered lengthwise, cleaned of grit, and chopped small
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups arborio, carnaroli, or another short-grained Italian rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
4 to 6 poached eggs, you’ll want one per serving
I'd never poached eggs before. I used Smitten Kitchen's directions. While not every egg turned out perfectly, I did manage to produce one for every person in attendance. I'd recommend you have extra on hand. Instructions for poaching are at Smitten Kitchen's website. I'd also recommend you poach all the eggs before you start the risotto, or have a friend on hand to help you finish up the risotto while you poach the eggs. Bon Appetit's recipe offers tips on how to poach the eggs before starting the risotto. You'll need to pop the poached eggs back in hot water for about a minute right before placing them atop the risotto to serve, in order to reheat them. It's really difficult to do both at the same time! (Thanks, N, for the help!)
To make the risotto: Place stock or broth in a small-medium saucepan over very low heat on a back burner. You want to have it heated until steamy when you add it in a bit, but not so much that it simmers and loses volume.
Heat a second medium saucepan (3 quarts) or skillet over medium heat. Add bacon or pancetta and cook until it renders its fat, and is tender and just barely crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside, leaving whatever dripping you can in the pan. Add a tablespoon of oil to the bacon fat if needed, then add the leeks. Cook leeks on medium-low for 10 to 12 minutes, until softened and mostly tender. Transfer to bowl with bacon and set aside, leaving stove on.
Add butter to pan and, once melted, cook onion in butter until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook sauté until faintly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add wine or vermouth and cook until it almost disappears, about 2 minutes. Ladle 1 cup of hot broth into the rice mixture and simmer until it absorbs, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is al dente, about 25 to 30 minutes. What you’re looking for in well-cooked risotto is a creamy but loose dish. When ladled onto a plate, it should spill into a creamy puddle, not heap in a mound. You might need an extra splash of broth to loosen it. When you achieve your desired texture and tenderness, stir in the cheese, bacon and leeks. (I didn't use all the leeks, but did use all the bacon and about 3/4 of the cheese.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into serving bowls. Top each with a poached egg. Serve.
(a combination of recipes from Bon Appetit and Smitten Kitchen)
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large or 3 smaller leeks, quartered lengthwise, cleaned of grit, and chopped small
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups arborio, carnaroli, or another short-grained Italian rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
4 to 6 poached eggs, you’ll want one per serving
I'd never poached eggs before. I used Smitten Kitchen's directions. While not every egg turned out perfectly, I did manage to produce one for every person in attendance. I'd recommend you have extra on hand. Instructions for poaching are at Smitten Kitchen's website. I'd also recommend you poach all the eggs before you start the risotto, or have a friend on hand to help you finish up the risotto while you poach the eggs. Bon Appetit's recipe offers tips on how to poach the eggs before starting the risotto. You'll need to pop the poached eggs back in hot water for about a minute right before placing them atop the risotto to serve, in order to reheat them. It's really difficult to do both at the same time! (Thanks, N, for the help!)
To make the risotto: Place stock or broth in a small-medium saucepan over very low heat on a back burner. You want to have it heated until steamy when you add it in a bit, but not so much that it simmers and loses volume.
Heat a second medium saucepan (3 quarts) or skillet over medium heat. Add bacon or pancetta and cook until it renders its fat, and is tender and just barely crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside, leaving whatever dripping you can in the pan. Add a tablespoon of oil to the bacon fat if needed, then add the leeks. Cook leeks on medium-low for 10 to 12 minutes, until softened and mostly tender. Transfer to bowl with bacon and set aside, leaving stove on.
Add butter to pan and, once melted, cook onion in butter until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook sauté until faintly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add wine or vermouth and cook until it almost disappears, about 2 minutes. Ladle 1 cup of hot broth into the rice mixture and simmer until it absorbs, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is al dente, about 25 to 30 minutes. What you’re looking for in well-cooked risotto is a creamy but loose dish. When ladled onto a plate, it should spill into a creamy puddle, not heap in a mound. You might need an extra splash of broth to loosen it. When you achieve your desired texture and tenderness, stir in the cheese, bacon and leeks. (I didn't use all the leeks, but did use all the bacon and about 3/4 of the cheese.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into serving bowls. Top each with a poached egg. Serve.
Hot Fruit Compote
- 1 can each of pear halves, peach halves, pineapple chunks, apricots
- 1 cup applesauce
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drain canned fruit and cut into bite size pieces. Mix all ingredients in a 3-quart casserole or baking dish.
- Bake uncovered about 45 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm or cool.
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Cheesecake Pecan Bars
courtesy of the Washington Post
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
For the crust and topping:
Line the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on low speed until well blended.
Reserve 2 cups of the mixture (at room temperature) to use as the topping; press the remaining mixture into the prepared pan and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
For the filling:
Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer on low speed until smooth and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the speed on low, gradually add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the speed on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition, then add the milk and beat to blend well. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the lemon juice, vanilla extract and salt; beat on low speed just until combined and lightened in color.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the mixture evenly over the chilled crust, then crumble the reserved topping mixture evenly over the filling to create a topping. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn golden brown and the top is set. If the topping appears to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.
courtesy of the Washington Post
INGREDIENTS
- FOR THE CRUST AND TOPPING
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- FOR THE FILLING
- 24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
For the crust and topping:
Line the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on low speed until well blended.
Reserve 2 cups of the mixture (at room temperature) to use as the topping; press the remaining mixture into the prepared pan and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
For the filling:
Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer on low speed until smooth and creamy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the speed on low, gradually add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the speed on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition, then add the milk and beat to blend well. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the lemon juice, vanilla extract and salt; beat on low speed just until combined and lightened in color.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the mixture evenly over the chilled crust, then crumble the reserved topping mixture evenly over the filling to create a topping. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn golden brown and the top is set. If the topping appears to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.