Sunday ROAST made EASY
By Dapper life
written by Val White
I love cooking. I love eating. I’m a total foodie, but never do I enjoy food more than around the holidays.
For this Christmas we are experimenting with new recipes and developing a new menu for our Christmas Day feast. This last Sunday we experimented with an easier version of a Beef Wellington, some brussell sprouts with candied bacon, and we tried to re-create my Mom’s squash casserole that she used to make when I was little. Today we are giving you all three of the recipes that we created this past Sunday.
Easy Peasy BEEF WELLINGTON
BY VAL WHITE
INGREDIENTS
14 oz middle-cut fillet of beef
1 tbsp oil
1 can croissant dough
Plain flour for dusting
1 egg beaten with a splash of milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE TOPPING
1/2 STICK OF BUTTER
12 OZ mixed mushrooms (thinly sliced)
1.75 oz Parmesan cheese (finely grated)
1 TBSP FRESHLY CHOPPED ROSEMARY
2 TO 3 FRESH SAGE LEAVES CHOPPED
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 egg yolk
FOR THE ROSEMARY SAUCE
1/2 STICK OF BUTTER
1 TBSP PLAIN FLOUR
14 FL OZ FULL-FAT CRÈME FRAÎCHE
1 TBSP DIJON MUSTARD
1 TBSP FRESHLY CHOPPED ROSEMARY
A PINCH OF SUGAR
METHOD
PREHEAT OVEN TO 220C/390F
SEASON THE BEEF WITH SALT AND PEPPER. PLACE A LARGE FRYING PAN OVER A HIGH HEAT, ADD THE OIL AND SEAR THE BEEF ON ALL SIDES. TRANSFER THE BEEF TO A BAKING TRAY AND ROAST IN THE OVEN FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. TURN OFF THE OVEN AND REMOVE THE BEEF. LEAVE TO COOL TO ROOM TEMPERATURE AND THEN CHILL IN THE FRIDGE FOR AT LEAST 1 HOUR. (SAVE ALL THE JUICES FOR LATER.)
NEXT, MAKE THE TOPPING: MELT THE BUTTER IN THE SAME PAN AND FRY THE MUSHROOMS OVER A HIGH HEAT FOR 7 MINUTES. ONCE THE MUSHROOMS ARE SOFTENED, DRAIN THEM INTO A COLANDER AND SAVE ALL THE JUICES FOR LATER. TRANSFER THE MUSHROOMS TO A MIXING BOWL. ONCE COOLED TO ROOM TEMPERATURE ADD IN THE PARMESAN, ROSEMARY, MUSTARD, AND EGG YOLK. SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER AND CHILL IN THE FRIDGE FOR 30 MINUTES.
LINE A BAKING SHEET WITH PARCHMENT PAPER. DUST WITH A LITTLE FLOUR BEFORE PLACING THE CRESCENT DOUGH ONTO THE PAPER (DON’T SEPARATE INTO TRIANGLES…KEEP IT ALL IN ONE LARGE SQUARE) PLACE THE COOKED BEEF TO ONE SIDE OF THE DOUGH AND THEN TOP WITH THE MUSHROOM TOPPING MIXTURE. FOLD THE DOUGH OVER AND SEAL ALONG ALL SIDES (USING AN EGG WASH IF NEEDED). CHILL IN THE FRIDGE FOR AN ADDITIONAL 30 MINUTES. WHILE THIS IS CHILLING TURN ON THE OVEN AGAIN AND HEAT TO 220C/390F
ONCE THE OVEN IS HEATED AND THE PASTRY IS CHILLED, BRUSH THE ENTIRE PASTRY WITH AN EGG WASH AND THEN ROAST IN THE OVEN FOR 30-35 MINUTES OR UNTIL THE PASTRY IS GOLDEN BROWN AND CRISP.
MEANWHILE, MAKE THE ROSEMARY SAUCE. MELT THE BUTTER IN A SAUCEPAN. SPRINKLE IN THE FLOUR AND CRÈME FRAÎCHE WITH THE RESERVED BEEF AND MUSHROOM JUICES. ADD THE CHOPPED ROSEMARY, SALT, PEPPER, AND DASH OF SUGAR AND BRING TO A BOIL, STIRRING. SIMMER FOR 3 MINUTES UNTIL REDUCED SLIGHTLY AND KEEP HOT.
WHEN THE BEEF WELLINGTON IS FINISHED, COVER WITH FOIL AND LET REST FOR 15 MINUTES BEFORE CARVING. SLICE INTO THICK SLICES AND SERVE WITH THE ROSEMARY SAUCE.
SQUASH CASSEROLE
BY VAL WHITE
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsps butter (cubed)
4 small yellow squash sliced
1 small onion diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 eggs
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 mayonnaise
3/4 cup crushed buttery round crackers (like ritz)
1 CUP SHREDDED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE
METHOD
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350F. SPRAY 8 TO 9 INCH SQUARE BAKING DISH WITH COOKING SPRAY AND SET ASIDE.
MELT 1 TBSP BUTTER IN A LARGE SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HEAT. ADD SQUASH AND ONION AND COOK FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES UNTIL THE VEGETABLES BEGIN TO BECOME TENDER. SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER AND THEN REMOVE FROM HEAT.
IN A BOWL MIX TOGETHER EGGS, CHEESE, SOUR CREAM, AND MAYONNAISE.
ADD THE EGG MIXTURE INTO THE SQUASH MIXTURE AND STIR ALTOGETHER.
TRANSFER THE SQUASH MIXTURE NOW INTO A BAKING DISH.
IN ANOTHER BOWL CRUSH UP THE CRACKERS AND ADD A BIT OF MELTED BUTTER. SPRINKLE THE CRUMBLY MIX ON TOP OF THE CASSEROLE.
SPRINKLE ON TOP OF THE CRUMBLY TOPPING SOME SHREDDED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE AND BAKE UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN (ABOUT 30-35 MINUTES).
BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH BACON
by val white
INGREDIENTS
1 lb brussel sprouts
Half a pack of bacon (sliced into squares)
1/4 cup brown sugar
METHOD
HEAT THE OVEN TO 375F
TRIM UP THE BRUSSEL SPROUTS AND CUT THEM INTO HALVES.
PUT THE SPROUTS ONTO A BAKING TRAY AND DRIZZLE WITH OLIVE OIL. SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER.
CUT THE BACON INTO SQUARES AND PUT INTO A BOWL.
ADD THE BROWN SUGAR TO THE BOWL OF BACON AND STIR UNTIL ALL THE BACON IS THOROUGHLY COATED WITH THE SUGAR.
SPRINKLE THE BACON IN WITH THE BRUSSEL SPROUTS AND PLACE THE TRAY INTO THE OVEN.
COOK FOR 30-35 MINUTES UNTIL THE BACON IS CRISPING AND THE SPROUTS ARE CARAMELIZED.
Val’s Favorite Salad RECIPE
by dapper life
written by val white
I used to think salads were so boring, but lately I have been all about the salad! I love a good Caeser salad, Greek salad, Italian salad, salad bar, salad delivery…I’ve been in a legit salad mood for a minute. But no matter how many variations or types of salad I eat, I always end up coming back to my all time favorite make at home salad.
Here’s how I make it! In a large salad bowl combine the following ingredients:
Romaine lettuce (I buy it in the three pack and chop it all up straight away and put in a large sized refrigerator storage bag for ease in future salad making!)
Half tomato cubed
5 Slices of cucumber rounds (then quartered)
1 stalk of celery
1 half chopped carrot (or 5 chopped baby carrots)
1 sliced hardboiled egg
Generous helping of sliced banana pepper
Even more generous supply of kalamata olives (These simply CANNOT be omitted!)
1/4 Cup Almond Mozzerella Cheese
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Juice of 1 lemon
The olive oil and lemon juice is the BEST salad dressing ever!
Enjoy!
10 Reasons You Should be Drinking Lemon Water EVERYDAY
by dapper life
written by val white
Drinking room temperature lemon water every morning on an empty stomach is something that has been practiced in many ancient cultures for medicinal and wellness purposes for centuries and it has recently made its comeback in the modern, hipster, green, yogi, & holistic ‘oily people’ circles. Ya know…the cool kids.
But what are the actual benefits of lemon water?
Drinking room temperature lemon water first thing in the morning may help to maintain an alkaline ph in the body by neutralizing acidity in the bloodstream.
Lemon water has powerful antibacterial properties and may help keep infection at bay.
Helps to keep your body hydrated as it’s a great way to provide electrolytes.
Helps fight off colds.
Lemon water also helps with digestion.
Can help promote weight loss.
Lemon is an anti-inflammatory which can help to treat and prevent many inflammation related maladies.
Helps in liver function to flush out toxins.
Lemon is rich in vitamin C.
Helps to promote healthy skin.
We think these 10 benefits are enough to add drinking room temperature lemon water to your every morning routine. Drink up!
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