Cheese Souffle

I'm a little backwards, or is it ahead, of the Whisk Wednesday posts but I'm ready to share my Cheese Souffle and it's Wednesday...so here is mine!

Wonderful, delightful, dreamy dish. I will definitely make this again! I've made souffles before but the results have varied and this one...it came out just perfect!

Souffle au Comte
Cheese Souffle

1 1/4 cups grated Comte or other swiss cheese such as Gruyere or Emmenthal
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tb unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt
white pepper
freshly grated nutmed
4 eggs, seperated

A beautiful mix of the egg whites with the "custard-y" sauce of bilk, egg yolks and cheese. Then add in the whipped egg whites, pop into the oven, do the souffle prayer dance and VOILA! Souffle.

Melissa's Wet Burritos

I love these gratin dishes I got from Sur la Table. They are perfect for finishing a dish in the oven and then serving. No giant pan to scrub!

I made my version of a Wet Burrito. Perfectly spicy and topped with cool, fresh avocado.

Serves 2

2 tortillas, I use 10"

1 cup cooked chicken (either leftovers or simmer chicken in stock with onions and garlic)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup black beans

1/2 cup frozen corn

Seasonings: cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, mexican oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of cayenne

12-16 ounces salsa

1-2 chipotle peppers, sauce reserved

1 cup cheddar cheese or jalapeno cheese, shredded

Sauce:
Use remaining salsa and adobo/chipotle sauce to top the burritos.

Saute onion and garlic in heated olive oil. When warm, add remaining ingredients. Simmer the seasoning into the mixture. When simmered and spiced throughout, about 30 minutes, continue with the rest of the recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide mixture in half and fill each tortilla and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. (Just be sure to remove or let your dinner guests know they are there).

Top with sauce, cheese and bake for about 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh, fat slices of avocado.

**Don't be afraid to edit my recipe. Got a half bell pepper waiting to be used up? Chop it up and toss it in with the onion and garlic. Use red onion. Try adding fresh jalapeno instead of the chipotle. This is a very flexible recipe and quite good.

Bread Baker's Apprentice: Bagels

Bring on the bagels! I've made bagels at home before and I'll just say - yuck. Now I am following the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge on Pinch My Salt. The recipe we were making was bagels.

A few others had already made their bagels and the results were uniformly outstanding. After reading those reviews, I was energized and ready to make bagels.

What a recipe! If you love bagels and want to make them at home, Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice book is perfect!

It does take two days due to the retarding in the refrigerator, but it's all fun and for very worthwhile results!

Many of the BBA Challenge bloggers handled the finishing of their bagels differently. I even saw a jalapeno cheddar bagel! I chose to make a seed mixture that resembles "everything" bagels because those are my favorite.

Everything Bagel Topping Mixture

Used to seed 13 large bagels

4 teaspoons each
poppy seed
sesame seed
dried minced onion (Penzey's)
dried minced garlic (Penzey's)
black cracked pepper

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Mix together and top bagel once it's out of the boiling bath and before it goes into the oven.

Fridge Friday: Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures? Okay, there are two parts to this. One, my fridge is empty and I will go shopping, fill it to the max and eat, eat, eat. Second, the weather is finally breaking in Michigan and I enjoy a nice white wine during the warmer months. Pinot Grigio to be exact.

Let's talk about the Pinot. On the bottom shelf, it doesn't fit a bottle that is opened with the cork. Sadly, I have to pour a bottle into this plastic container and then it fits. Although it's perfect, too perfect actually. That would be my "Guilty Pleasure".

As for the rest of the fridge, it's empty, it's open and it's available for my shopping! Can't beat that!

Halibut w/ Tomatoes and Leeks - Yes H Again! LOL

Sometimes we shop in Canada. It's easy because the border here in Michigan is not far. One of the things I love there is the different cooking magazines. One grocery store we stopped at had these neat, large, glossy flyers of meals and a couple of recipes.

Inside was this great broiled tilapia dish that stated it had a "charred cherry tomato and leek" topping. It was beautiful.

I grabbed some of the halibut (hey still working on the freezer here!) and broiled it and topped it with my version of Tomato and Leek Saute.

Tomato and Leek Saute

25 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 leeks, white & light green parts chopped and rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1T olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt, pepper, thyme

1 pound Halibut, skin removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
or
2 tablespoons butter, melted with 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Saute garlic in oil over medium-heat. When warm through and garlic essence released into the oil, add the leeks. Let soften for 1-2 minutes and add the cherry tomatoes. Add the chicken stock and turn the heat down to low. Simmer until the tomatoes and leeks soften. About 40-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450/broil. The top element needs to be on in your oven. Move the rack to the top shelf marker. Brush with olive oil or melted butter/minced garlic.

Place the halibut onto a greased cookie sheet. Spread the topping over the halibut and broil till the halibut is opaque and a bit brown on the skinny edges. Serve.

Baked Halibut Fish Sticks - Definitely Make Again

I love halibut. I'm sure you couldn't tell by all the halibut recipes on my blog. You can substitute cod or another mild white fish too.

Halibut Fish Sticks
Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe here.

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon each: garlic powder, onion powder
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound halibut, cut into wide strips

Preheat oven to 425. Set a rack inside a cookie sheet.

Place egg in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine panko, seasonings and oil. Dip halibut into egg, shaking off excess, then into panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Place on rack.

Bake until lightly browned, 13-15 minutes.

Serve halibut sticks with tartar sauce and malt vinegar.

I don't have a special tartar sauce recipe, although I do make my own. Each time I vary the ingredients but most often I use:

Mayonnaise, dijon, capers, dill relish, pepper, cayenne and lemon juice. Mix together, allow flavors to meld for about 1 hour.

I really enjoyed these strips and I think I will make these again but not cut the filets. They would make great fish sandwiches. I think this is a flexible recipe. I like how the fish is baked and it eliminates the mess of frying, while also being healthier.