February 22, 2010

Baked Sea Bass & Mushroom Risotto: goodeats

This was one of my most favorite meals that Tom and I have tag teamed on.  Tom is a master at grilling/baking/frying meat & fish so we sided with a simple sea bass for dinner, my favorite!
 We decided to make a mushroom risotto as the side dish. Risotto is often intimidating because it requires a ton of TLC and a lot of wrist action.  The first time I made risotto was in college and I almost set my kitchen on fire. The trick to risotto is never add more liquid until all the liquid in the pan has been soaked up completely, and of course don't stop stirring that wooden spoon.  Patience can go a long way with risottos, and the result is well worth the wait. Here is an adapted recipe for a creamy mushroom risotto with layers of flavor. Feel free to sub out the mushrooms for any other vegetables such as asparagus or spinach.


Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients:
-1/2 pound of baby portobellos, sliced or chopped into bite size pieces
-1/2 pound of crimini or white button mushrooms, sliced or chopped into bite size pieces
-1/2 cup of dry white wine, I recommend a nice sauvignon blanc that you would drink a glass of
-6 cups of chicken stock (low sodium, the cheese will add enough salt)
-3-4 tbsp of butter
-minced shallots
-chopped garlic
-1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
-chopped chives
-S&P
-EVOO
-freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1) Heat chicken stock on low until it barely begins to simmer.  Meanwhile, in a wide sauce pan, saute the 2 tbsps of butter with the mushrooms, garlic and shallots for a few minutes until the mushrooms have fully sweated out and reduced in size.  Set aside in a bowl with all juices.  Return the pan to the heat
2) Saute the arborio rice with the remaining 2 tbsp of butter until the edges of the rice turn into a nutty brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Slowly add in the 1/2 of rice, deglazing the pan.  Allow the wine to completely evaporate and soak up.
3)  Begin to ladle in the heated chicken stock 1/2  a cup (or ladle full) at a time, constantly stirring.  Again, do not ladle more liquid until the rice has fully absorbed all of the stock.  Continue to stir and add in the stock 1/2 cup at a time until the 6 cups has been added or the risotto is at a texture of your liking.
4)  Remove from heat and stir in the sauteed mushrooms, cheese and chopped chives.  Season with S&P to taste.

For those of you wondering about the fish, you'll have to go to Tom's blog and see if he ever divulges the secret recipe to delicious sea bass :)

February 19, 2010

Coachella Jam #1, Deadmau5: fatbeats


I can't wait to catch Deadmau5 at Coachella this year. Doesn't this song sound like it belongs on the Requiem For a Dream soundtrack?

February 17, 2010

Chloe invades Spring 2010: goodlooks

buttermyjammy has been on vacation for a bit...not because I haven't been stuffing my face with great food (I'm about 7 pounds heavier then I was 2 weeks ago thus making me 7 pounds more lovable), but mostly because I've been out of town on a few mini vacations.  Also,  I seem to have misplaced my camera cord resulting in a visual-less buttermyjammy. boo.  So in the meantime, let me indulge you in other forms of eyecandy :)

By no means do I consider myself a fashionista.  I save that title for those who wake up at 4AM to get to the Black Friday sale at Saks or those who always look impeccable head to toe, donning anything from louboutin's to forever 21... BUT, I do know how to appreciate good leather.  On my way back from Coronado this weekend, we made a pit stop at South Coast Plaza.  I shouldn't have done it, but I did.....I took a gander at Chloe's spring collection.  I was in love and broken hearted in the same moment.

How necessary are these two pieces?? The large Elsie Buffalo Bowling bag is really made out of butter....$1550 worth of butter.  It is so soft and the color makes you want to melt into a pool of caramel.  It's the perfect casual purse to pair with a crisp white t-shirt and fitted jeans and some fierce booties.  The Elsie Lurex shoulder bag is on the other side of the spectrum.  Structured and sleek, this is the purse to sling over that black mini when you're going out for the evening.  Only allowing room for a tube of rouge and perhaps some moola, this is a great alternative to the traditional clutch.  I love the twisted rope strap, adds a little bit of edge to such a classic.  This one runs for a cool $1250. 

I left SouthCoast empty handed and a little depressed about my finances.  But then I thought...."How much could I buy at Sur La Table for $1500??? Le Creuset's cast iron set so Betty could have some friends to play with, or perhaps the Wustoff classic knife set? Maybe a year's worth of cooking classes at Sur La Table!"



I guess the need to fill my belly and the bellys of my loved ones, far outweighs my need to wear $1500 worth of leather butter....oh well!

xx

February 9, 2010

rainy days in paris: fatbeats



dedicated to my good friend, cat.... cause she loves feist, rain and paris :)

Soup du Jour, Butternut Squash Leek: goodeats

When it was pouring  few weeks ago, all I could think about was making soup.  So for Betty's first meal, we decided to do a simple butternut squash leek soup. We went a little overboard with the leeks resulting in a more green hue rather a buttery yellow.  Regardless of the color, the soup was delicious.  Sweet and creamy, this soup is definitely a keeper.

 Butternut Squash Leek Soup
Ingredients:
-3 cups of chopped leeks
-4cups of cubed butternut squash
-1 pack of store bought butter nut squash (this will really help develop the bright color)
-Few cloves of garlic, minced (the more the better)
-Chicken stock, enough to cover the vegies in the dutch oven (about 5-6 cups)
- S&P
-A touch of cream to drizzle

Directions:
-Heat olive oil in Betty and saute butternut squash until golden brown.  Add in leeks and garlic and continue to saute (about 10-12 minutes total).  Add in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Season with S&P (thyme might be a good addition if you're in the mood). Simmer for about 25 minutes or until squash is tender enough to blend.  Using a hand held immersion blender, blend the soup to a consistency of your liking.  Spoon into a nice deep bowl and drizzle a little bit of cream on top for presentation.  yuuuum

I picked up some crusty french bread and homemade olive tapenade from Monsieur Marcel on my way home and it made for a nice side dish to the soup.

 

February 1, 2010

MJ's Best: fatbeats

okay maybe not his BEST, but this song is one of my favorite MJ jams. 


ps: Grammy tribute to MJ...what a disappointment.  Good thing we didn't make a 10PM run to Target for the 3D glasses!