Thursday, December 28, 2017

Chicken Corn Chowder

Extremely cold weather all across this country right now so I thought this would be an excellent time to share this recipe. It is definitely comfort food and a very filling and delicious chowder.
Chicken Corn Chowder
 
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
3 cups chicken broth or stock
2 cups corn kernels (if using frozen they should be thawed)
2 cups diced cooked chicken cut into chunks, 1 1/2 pounds of chicken
2 cups diced red potatoes, skin on
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
green onion to garnish
 
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, sauté the onions for 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots, stirring frequently and sautéing for an additional 5 minutes.
 
Add the chicken broth, corn, chicken and potatoes. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
 
Add the half and half and paprika. Cook for an additional 10 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
 
Garnish with sliced green onion, Parmesan cheese or a drizzle of Black Truffle Oil.
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This recipe is creamy and hearty comfort food. An easy recipe loaded with fresh vegetables.
A rotisserie chicken works very well for this recipe but I had some chicken breasts and I chose to roast them myself. Seasoned with salt and pepper, drizzled with fresh lemon juice and added in some fresh herbs (lemon thyme) from my garden. It gave this soup a little additional flavor.
Of course, prepping everything in advance is essential. It makes putting this together so much easier.
 I thought this to be an amazingingly delicious and very hearty soup. I particularly liked the use of the new red potatoes in this recipe. I chose to top my soup with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.



I hope you will give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as I did. This is definitely one I will prepare over and over again.
It is almost Friday and I will be sharing this post at Michael Lee's blogging party, "Foodie Friday". To see other wonderful recipes shared please click HERE.

Friday, December 8, 2017

Repost, My Marinated London Broil

My cookbook book club group is getting together this weekend for our Christmas party. This will be a heavy appetizer dinner party. Our hostess chose for us to bring an appetizer from about 5 specific blogs instead of choosing from a specific cookbook. Three of us in our group do have food blogs so our blogs were, of course, on the list from which to choose an appetizer. I am reposting this recipe mainly so members in my group can see it, since they may want the recipe but this is a recipe that can be served as an entrée and works very well for an appetizer. Besides that those meat and potatoes men seem to love it when I bring this appetizer and husbands will be joining us. It will be sliced very thinly, served on appetizer size parker house rolls and the sauce is a horseradish mayonnaise. This will be a fun party which I am looking forward to and my "foodie friends" always serve up some of the absolute BEST choices.

 I have used this recipe for at least 40 years, and it has served me well. I was given this recipe by a friend and have changed it up somewhat, but the proportions are perfect. I most often use this when cooking a London Broil on the grill, I've tried roasting it in the oven and it just doesn't taste the same. This recipe would work very well as a marinade for beef going on a Shish Kabob too. I usually don't share this recipe and have been asked for it many times but then I thought, "How silly is that????"

Carolyn's Marinated London Broil

1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together and place in a Pyrex dish. Add London broil and marinate in the refrigerator at least 24 hours turning frequently. I also poke holes in the London broil so the marinade can seep into the meat.
I usually get a fairly thick London broil and have found that if the London broil does not stick fairly tender when pierced it wouldn't tenderize if you marinated it for a week. But I must say even if a little tougher the flavor is excellent with this marinade. I also often marinade two in the same dish with just one recipe when having company.
We always use our charcoal grill for the best flavor but does just as well on a gas grill. I have tried roasting it in the oven using this marinade and DID NOT like the taste. It is a marinade specifically for grilling.
It is quite honestly delicious, simple and more narrow ends that are not quite as rare are my favorite.
My Mr. Picky Eater is strictly a meat and potatoes kind of guy and this is one of his favorites. Leftovers are also fabulous simmered in your favorite Bar B Que Sauce and served on your favorite buns. Simply delicious!!! When grilling season begins in your area I hope you will give this marinade a try. My favorite way to serve this is with a Baked Potato with all of my favorite toppings and a simple Mixed Green Salad.

I am also sharing this post for Foodie Friday at Michael Lee's blog Rattlebridge Farm.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Make Ahead Gravy for Thanksgiving




Thanksgiving is almost upon us, it gets so hectic when you are trying to prepare a Thanksgiving feast. If you are like me it gets most frantic when the turkey comes out of the oven and it's time to let the bird rest so you can get on with making the gravy. That's usually about the time when my two teenage grandsons walk in the door and tell me right away that they are starved. The moment it's said I can feel my neck tightening and everything in my body begins to hurt. Welllllllll, I have a solution, a Make Ahead Gravy. I must tell you it is absolutely delicious and the smoked turkey wings are a key element to this amazing flavor. This is but one minor solution to a busy Thanksgiving  but it feels so nice to be able to pull out your already prepared gravy and just warm it. One less thing that you have to do when everyone is piling in your kitchen, it becomes chaos if it's anything like my house.

We begin with smoked turkey wings and necks, yes you read that right and just so you know, they make the BEST basis for your gravy. They are now readily available at most grocery stores.  Placed in a large roasting pan with some halved garlic (no need to peel the whole bulb just cut it in half), a medium onion cut in pieces and several stalks of celery then roasted on one side for 45 minutes, then turned to roast on the other side for another 45 minutes. An easy process but time consuming.
Then you add in your chicken stock and roast for another hour. Take them out of the oven and let them cool and then it's time to make the gravy. Remove all the turkey wings, vegetables and then pour through a sieve into a large container. You will have about 5 to 8 cups of strained stock.
 
Begin your gravy with the unsalted butter and then add in the flour. It's only necessary to cook the flour for a couple of minutes but I like to cook the flour to a medium brown. It will have more flavor and it will also make your gravy a little darker.


 Stir it constantly with a wire whisk so no lumps appear and I like mine to get to a medium brown.
 Continue to whisk as you add in the turkey stock, cider vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. The vinegar sounds a  little weird but trust me it gives it a little bite that is needed.
Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and then pour it into a freezer container and you have your gravy. All you have to do is take it out, pour it in a pan and you have an amazingly delicious gravy.
Let it cool and pop it in the freezer. When you roast your turkey on Thanksgiving just save your drippings to go in the freezer for Christmas or the next time you roast a turkey. Trust me this Make Ahead Gravy is the best I have ever made, it is outstanding and the best part, it saves you some time, more time you can spend with your guests.

Make Ahead Gravy

This can be prepared 2 or 3 days ahead. Just reheat it in a saucepan over medium. The turkey stock can be made, cooled and frozen for up to 6 months.

For the stock:

2 T olive oil
6 lb. turkey wings and necks
5 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 head garlic, halved

Add: 12 cups chicken broth

For the gravy:

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup AP flour
8 cups turkey stock
1 T apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sauté the turkey wings and necks, onion, celery and garlic in a roasting pan on top of the stove in the olive oil over medium high heat until beginning to brown. Transfer to the oven, roast 45 minutes, then turn the wings and necks over and roast an additional 45 minutes.

Add broth to the pan and cook in the oven for 1 hour, or until reduced to 8 cups. Strain stock and set aside.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Gradually add strained stock, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil, simmer 2 minutes to thicken, then reduce heat to medium low; simmer 10 minutes. Finish with vinegar, salt and pepper.
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You won't be disappointed with this gravy and when you warm it up you could add in a little tied bundle of sage, parsley and thyme and even a splash of cognac. Frankly I like it as is, it is delicious. I also need to add that this is not an original recipe of my own. I happen to be on a food message board with some of the greatest cooks from all over this country. I am privileged to have available to me these wonderful recipes and this one just happens to come from one of the members who consistently shares excellent recipes. Lucky me right?

I hope you'll try this little time saver, anything helps when you have a crowd for a Thanksgiving meal.

Happy Thanksgiving
 
 
I am linking this post to Wow Us Wednesday hosted by Kim at Savvy Southern Style and will also link this post to Foodie Friday hosted by Michael Lee at Rattlebridge Farm.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Vegetable Beef Soup

In our area of North Florida we are now finally enjoying some Fall like weather with temperatures dipping into the 40's in the evening and at least twice in the high 30's. This puts me in the mood for some Fall "good eats" and there is nothing I like better than a pot of Vegetable Beef Soup.
 Always, the first thing that comes out in the Fall is my Staub Pumpkin pot and remains there until after Thanksgiving. Reminding me that it is autumn and this pot needs to be filled with something good whether it be a stew or a soup or even a pot roast.
Most people think of a Vegetable Soup as a way of cleaning out their refrigerator and that works well too but when I'm wanting a good Beefy Veggie Soup it means really good ingredients and you can also use frozen soup veggies. That is if you don't happen to have any leftover veggies in the fridge.
 
I begin with browning my beef and I always use cubed round making sure that it is cut up in bite sized pieces. I like the leanness of the round and I think more flavorful. First browning the beef in a little olive oil on all sides and then set aside to be added in later.
 
 

After removing the browned beef I add in my Mirepoix, a French term for a combination of onion, celery and carrots diced finely to begin building flavor. Always using really good ingredients, there are no better ingredients than the canned tomatoes or beef stock I use unless of course you make them from scratch.
After browning the beef I start sautéing the onions just until they are transparent and then add in my other vegetables ending with some finely minced garlic. Making sure that the garlic does not burn, that will give off a bitter taste. Salting as you go along, as you build the layers of flavor.
Then adding in the beef broth, the crushed tomatoes, the browned beef, and a beef bone with marrow, this gives great flavor. Doesn't need to be a very large beef bone but again building that flavor.
 
Next I add another important bit of flavor, a bouquet garni all of which come from my herb garden with the exception of the bay leaf. I keep these little muslin bags at all times just for this purpose and for this soup I use a sprig of basil, 3 sprigs of thyme, 1 sprig of rosemary, 1 bay leaf and a sprig or two of parsley.

Stuffed and ready to be dropped into the pot. Releases it's flavor but also easy to retrieve and there is no chopping.
Let this simmer for about an hour until the meat is tender.
Then I add in my veggies, if I do have some leftover in the fridge that's a good way to use them up but if not I use a frozen soup mixture of mixed veggies from the grocer. Simmered for about another 30 minutes. Serve it up and top with your favorite cheese. In this case I topped it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
 
Vegetable Beef Soup
 
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
1-1 1/2 pounds beef round chunks
sliced beef bone with marrow
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 quart beef broth
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
about 28 ounces of water
salt and pepper to taste as you go along to build each layer of flavor
 
Mirepoix: placed in a small muslin cooking bag
1 sprig fresh basil
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1-2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 bay leaf, dried
 
 
Place the olive oil in a large heavy pot, at least a 5 quart pot. Salt and pepper the beef chunks. Add the beef chunks to the pot and brown, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the beef from the pot to a plate, add in onions and a little more olive oil if needed and sauté until clear. Add the carrots and celery and cook just until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute being careful not to burn the garlic and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Add back in the browned beef with it's juices, beef stock, can of crushed tomatoes, mirepoix, and beef bone. Add enough water to the consistency that you like for a soup, about what will fill the emptied can of crushed tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste,  bring it to a boil, and turn down the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
 
Add vegetables of choice and cook for 30 minutes longer until vegetables are cooked tender. If using already cooked veggies just heat them through. Before serving check for seasonings.
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Soooooo delicious and true comfort food on a chilly evening. Pared with a side salad and a glass of a good red wine, it doesn't get any better than that.
 
 
This is one of my favorite soups and it freezes beautifully. If you try it I hope you enjoy it. Everybody has a favorite way of preparing Veggie Soup, I would love to hear how you change things up.
 
Thank you for visiting and I hope you'll come back again. I will be sharing this post at Michael Lee's blog for Foodie Friday. Click HERE to enjoy other recipes shared.
 







Sunday, August 27, 2017

Best of the South Peach Cobbler

This recipe has been my "go to" cobbler for years. Any fresh summer fruit works well and it's so easy to prepare. It has a rich buttery tasting cobbler and I love this recipe.
I have no idea of the calorie count nor do I care. Every now and then I throw caution to the wind and just indulge.
 
It certainly goes by much quicker if you have all the ingredients prepped. All ingredients you would have in your pantry if you happen to stroll in to a Farmers Market and find some fresh local fruit.
My husband found these peaches at our local Farmer's Market on Saturday. We actually had not had any peaches this whole summer. Most of the peaches in our surrounding area did not produce very well. I'm told it was because we had such a warm winter and there were not enough chilling hours. However, these came from North Carolina which I have had before. Absolutely nothing beats Chilton County peaches in Alabama, soooooooooo delicious but their peach groves were not very productive either so I am told. These were not very sweet but a perfect choice for a cobbler. With added sugar, I can remedy that.
 
Best Of The South Peach Cobbler
 
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup whole milk
2 cups sliced peaches
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Melt butter in a 2-quart casserole dish, in the oven as the oven preheats. Mix together flour, 1 cup sugar, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg and give it a good stir with a wire whisk. Add the milk and almond extract. Pour mixture over melted butter; do not stir. Sweeten peaches to taste using about 1/2 cup of sugar. Place peaches on top of mix, again do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until browned on top and bubbly. Serve warm with ice cream or freshly whipped cream.
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Make sure you use a really good quality almond extract, it can make all the difference in the world I have found. This is what I use.
I cannot emphasize more that when you pour the batter and then the peach mixture on top into the dish, don't stir it around to mix it. The batter rises to the top and surrounds the peaches. And yes, you did read the recipe correctly, it does call for 3 teaspoons of baking powder and this is the reason why. That has always been my most asked question when sharing this recipe. 
 It's a rich buttery tasting recipe with a little crunch around the edges. It doesn't get any better.

Before serving this I couldn't help myself, I had to taste to make sure it was good. I hope you'll give this a try. It's a quick, easy but delicious dessert and works well with not only peaches but blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries. A combination would be amazing. I'm thinking peaches and blueberries if I can get some more delicious peaches this week.
 
Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
 
 Enjoy, Carolyn
 

Monday, August 21, 2017

Blueberry Buttermilk Pie

I always look forward to the time when blueberries at our farm in South Georgia are ripe and ready for picking. We picked our last few at the end of June. We had a modest amount of berries this year but we have found that every other year are bumper crops. This year was not a bumper crop but did get enough for the freezer to use when I want them. Here's just a few of our blueberry bushes at our farm in S GA.
Now I love a good buttermilk pie, not too sweet but just sweet enough to fulfill that sweet tooth craving. Imagine if you would a buttermilk pie with blueberries, YUM. After going through my saved recipes specifically for blueberries I found this recipe. Cut out of a magazine long ago but had never tried the recipe. What was I thinking?
This was delicious and blueberries are an excellent addition to a Buttermilk Pie.
 
Blueberry Buttermilk Pie
1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
1 (9-inch) frozen deep-dish piecrust, thawed or your own pie crust
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Sweetened whipped cream, to serve

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place blueberries in piecrust. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla at medium-low speed with an electric mixer until butter is in nickel-sized pieces, approximately 1 minute.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar, flour, and salt; stir into egg mixture. Pour into piecrust.

Bake until set, 60 to 65 minutes. (Cover with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary.) Let cool before serving. Top slices with whipped cream, if desired.

Note: The blueberries rise to the top as a pecan pie would.
An excellent dessert and of course, Mr. Picky Eater who definitely has a sweet tooth loved this pie. A quick and easy dessert, assembly takes no time. I hope you will try this recipe, you won't be disappointed. I found that the pie itself has a creamier texture than most Buttermilk Pies which was wonderful.
 Enjoy your day and I hope each of you have plans to take in the solar eclipse today. Such a rare occurrence, I can't wait.

I will be sharing this post at Foodie Friday hosted by Michael Lee at Rattlebridge Farm.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Greek Tortellini Salad

I am always looking to expand my recipe collection and always trying new and different things. I can't even remember where I first saw this recipe whether it was online, in a magazine or from my stacks and stacks of saved folders but this was delightful. A quick and easy recipe, a good summery dish where you don't have to heat up your oven and what's not to like about a pasta salad?
Make it in a large bowl since there is so much mixing and transfer it to a serving bowl. 
I thought this to be a delicious salad packed with fresh ingredients and the vinaigrette is excellent, not too tart but with a definite Greek taste.

Greek Tortellini Salad

1 pound three cheese tortellini pasta, cooked al dente
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small shallot, diced
1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup jarred artichoke hearts
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1/3 cup chiffonade of fresh basil
1/2 cup feta, crumbled

In a large bowl combine cooled tortellini, tomatoes, shallot cucumber, artichoke hearts and olives. Mix well and pour dressing (recipe below) over salad. Add in crumbled feta, gently mix again, pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle basil on top.

 Greek Dressing

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons finely minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix vinegar, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, sugar, mustard, lemon juice, and salt and pepper together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil so it will emulsify and Pour over the salad.
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My Notes: I think some would be inclined to use fresh oregano but as an herb grower I would not do that. Oregano is such a strong herb but also the dried does mix better with this dressing. Thyme is not as strong of an herb but I would still use the dried in this instance. Also, I don't normally peel my cucumber when using an English cucumber but next time I will. Not peeling it gave the salad an ever so slight bitter after taste. My husband didn't even notice it but I have a keen sense of taste, that would be my only change. I also use marinated artichokes which only added to the overall Greek "thing". One other thing, I always, always buy feta in a block and crumble it myself. I find it to have a better taste and I can always tell the difference, it's just much more flavorful crumbling it yourself.
 
A great summery salad that made a meal for just myself and Mr. Picky Eater. And just so you know, he LOVED this salad. YAH!!!!! That is a big deal to me since I am always trying to cook things that both of us enjoy and it can sometimes be a challenge, hence, why I often call him Mr. Picky Eater.
Pared with a good white wine it made for a perfect summery dinner. I definitely like to eat lighter in the summer but at the same time it was filling.
I hope you will try this salad, it is excellent. I would really like to know if you make this salad and if you enjoyed it as much as I did. This will be made at my house many times for the remainder of the summer. I will be sharing this post for Foodie Friday hosted by Michael Lee at Rattlebridge Farm. To see other shared recipes click HERE.
 
 

 

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Updating My Cooking Skills

Last Tuesday, friend, Sharon and myself attended the first of a series of five cooking classes at a local shop, KitchenAble taught by Chef Jessica. The topic of all five classes are "Mother Sauces", exploring the five sauces the famous Chef Escoffier felt were the fundamental basics of French cuisine.  We will also learn some of the “daughter” sauces that can be created using these sauces during the series of five classes.
In the first class we learned how to make a Béchamel Sauce. Now I have made a Béchamel Sauce before but I learned so many interesting things along the way in this class. I found it to be extremely interesting and we also talked extensively  about method and other sauces that begin with a basic Béchamel Sauce. We were served a four course dinner also and it was amazing. We started with Roasted Broccoli with a basic Béchamel Sauce on top, the legendary Hot Brown-from the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY, a magnificent Macaroni and Cheese (Pasta Mornay) and in French tradition ended our dinner with a delicious salad of Arugula, a large shallot sliced, slices of Granny Smith Apples, the chef's own seasoning blend and topped with a Béchamel dressing. The Béchamel dressing is probably the best dressing I've ever had.

I did not take a pic of the salad but I will share the recipe of the dressing.

Béchamel Dressing
1 egg
2 cups prepared béchamel
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh herb (in this case tarragon was used)
1 teaspoon sugar

Allow béchamel to cool slightly, remove some of the sauce to a small bowl to temper the egg. Add the egg to the small bowl and whisk thoroughly. Combine with remaining ingredients whisk to mix thoroughly and serve over lettuce of choice. Yield-2 1/2 cups dressing

Note: She did in fact put the entire mixture over a double boiler and cooked the egg, only for a couple of minutes for food safety purposes but a raw egg can be used as well if you are not squeamish about using raw eggs.
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This was the most interesting dressing I have ever had, not overly tart but smooth and very pleasant.

Dinner was in  fact a little on the heavy size but it was so worth it. Our main course was the legendary Hot Brown-from the Brown Hotel in Louisville.  I had never heard of a Hot Brown before but it was absolutely divine and I will be making it for dinner next week, it was delicious. Reminded me a lot of a Croque Monsieur which I dearly love but with much different ingredients.
 

Not exactly light on calories but it was sooooooooo worth it.
 
The Legendary Hot-Brown-From the Brown Hotel in Louisville
 
 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnish
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
14-ounce sliced roasted turkey breast, thickly sliced
4 slices of Texas toast (crusts removed)
4 slices of bacon
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half
 
In a two-quart saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined to form a thick paste or roux. Continue to cook roux for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk heavy cream into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino-Romono cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
 
For each Hot Brown, place one slice of toast (slightly toasted) in an oven safe dish and cover with 7 ounces turkey. Take the two halves of Roma tomato and two toast points and set them alongside the base of turkey and toast. Pour half of the sauce over the dish, completely covering it. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Place the entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Remove and cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top to serve. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley and serve immediately.
 
Yield 4 servings
 
NOTE: Texas toast does not mean the brand that you see in the freezer section of the grocery but any bread of your preference but sliced thickly, 2-inches.
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As you can see chef did thin slices of tomato and placed on top of the Béchamel sauce which I think a better idea. If it were me I would use a gruyere in the sauce and top the tomatoes with the freshly grated Romano and then continue with the process. You can also see that instead of laying two slices of bacon crisscross on each piece which is how it would be served in France but instead chopped the bacon. I think this was an excellent idea not just for class serving but I would do the same if serving this at home.
Certainly this is not something I would serve often but since I know my husband would really enjoy this it will definitely be on my menu some time this week. It was amazingly delicious. I also intend to purchase a turkey breast and roast it myself which I think would be more flavorful but deli roasted turkey is also a good alternative. I will pare this with the salad that I gave the recipe above the Hot Brown and will double my Béchamel sauce, the recipe in the top portion of the Hot Brown.
 
This was a most enjoyable class, it's always a good thing to refresh your knowledge and certainly I learned some new techniques as well. This coming week Chef  Jessica will be teaching a Veloute' Sauce which I have never prepared before. This will be a sauce served over Salmon, YUM. I am taking my daughter so it will be a much needed mother/daughter outing together too. An evening I am looking forward to for more than one reason.
 
Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you will give the Hot Brown a try, you won't be disappointed.