Wednesday

Soupe a L'ognion Gratinee & Classic BLT

French Onion soup is my favorite soup of all time! i love the onions, the cheese, the bread, the smell, even the cute little bowls that they are housed in.  This was one of my favorite projects because onion soup is actually quite tedious to make. You've got to make it from scratch, and by scratch i mean, using homemade browned chicken and veal stock.  After the stocks are done (preferably done in advance since the veal stock alone takes at least 6 hours of simmer time), the onion part is easy.

Martha has a great brown chicken stock and veal stock recipes

French Onion Soup

3 oz butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 lbs yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp flour
4 cups browned chicken stock
4 cups browned veal stock
1/2 white wine
French Baguette
1 lb gruyere cheese, shredded
kosher salt & pepper

Caramelize onions in butter and oil, (Use high heat for the first couple of minutes until you see browning) then turn to low heat and continue carmelizing for at least 1 hour.  Add the flour to soft and caramelized onions and cook for 2 minutes.  Add white wine to deglaze, reduce dry.  Add chicken and veal stock, simmer 30 minutes.  Adjust seasoning. (You're going to find that you have to add more salt and pepper than you would expect to bring out the flavor of the stocks, since our stocks are made unsalted)

In the meantime, cut baguette into thick slices and toast.

When the soup is ready, ladle it into oven safe bowls, place a slice of toast and cover with cheese.  Place into a 500 degree oven until cheese is gratineed.


 MmmmmMm .. soo good ...

To be perfectly honest, I've never had a BLT sandwich. I know, i know, crazy right? well, growing up in my household bacon wasnt always avaliable and i've never ordered it whenever i saw it on a menu, it just so happens that ive never had it.  I decided to make a BLT since i was planning this "soup, salad and sandwich" dinner of ours, it seemed simple and easy enough.
But of course i had to toughen it up by making my own mayonnaise.  I dont really like the texture and taste of store bought mayonnaise, and when we learned how to make it homemade in class, it was game on.

Mayonnaise

3 egg yolks (use as fresh as possible, since we are consuming it raw)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1-2 tsp. lemon juice (or vinegar)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Combine yolks, mustard and 1 tsp. lemon juice whisking until mixture is smooth.

Drop by drop, slowly add oil while whisking. (this is the most painful part of making a mayo, you've got to slowly stream in the oil with one hand, while the other hand is whisking away, blending everything until an emulsion is established)

When all the oil is added, adjust flavor with seasoning.

homemade mayo

(will only last 3-4 days in the fridge, use it up quick!)

Classic BLT

Sourdough Bread ( I used Sara Lee Sourdough San Francisco Style Sandwich Rolls)
Butter Lettuce aka Bibb/Boston Lettuce (get the one that is still fresh with roots in a box at the grocery store)
Fresh Tomatoes, still on the vine
Bacon



Dinner is Served.


Tuesday

B Restaurant & Bar, San Francisco

Finally, vacay!! Jason and I have been working so hard at our jobs (2 jobs for me) that we really haven't had a chance to hang out so memorial day weekend we took off to our beloved SF.  We had an early flight and got all settled in at noon and decided to explore our surroundings.  Our hotel was on Market street and saw some huge building called the Metreon nearby and walked towards it.  We stumbled across this beaaaautiful glass house of a restaurant and oh my, the food was delissssh :)

Love On
Grey Goose Vodka, Fresh Raspberry Puree, Pineapple Juice

Such a great afternoon delight!


Halibut Ceviche
Fresh Halibut, Mango, Tomato, Avocados, Red Onions

Hands down the best ceviche i've ever had! it was so fresh 
and clean tasting, super refreshing and the homemade
potato chips gave it a modern taste




Truffle Fries

I've never had anything truffle before and one of my goals is to
eat up Spago's Roasted Chicken with Black Truffles, but for now
these yummy fries were a hit in my book! 
The truffle oil drizzled on top was light tasting but gave it great flavor, 
paired with the garlic aioli it was fantastic.



Panini with Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Mustard Seed
w/ baby green salad

Jason love love loves panini, so this was a great for him.


Farfalle Pasta with Pesto Chicken

i usually order pasta with a tomato sauce, but this stuck out to me
and i decided to step out of my comfort zone. i loved it! 
the flavor was bold, the pinenuts added a great crunch and
 the bowties reminded me of my childhood !



it was so nice to have lunch in a glass house, 
we will be back B Restaurant!
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