Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 6: Swiss & Gouda Fondue

I just had my first costly mistake in the kitchen!

Having spent $26 of my weekly "allowance" on cheese, I had very high expectations of Family Circle's Swiss & Gouda Fondue.  It was meant to make our Valentine's meal special and to simulate dining at The Melting Pot.  It turned out barely edible because I substituted dry white cooking wine for dry white wine, causing the saltiness to be through the roof!  Lesson learned.  This seems worth trying again, so I'll go ahead and post the recipe.  Maybe next Valentine's Day...

Swiss & Gouda Fondue

Makes 3 1/2 cups

• 1 1/2 cups DRY WHITE WINE
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 lb. Jarlsberg cheese, shredded
• 1/2 lb. Gouda cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• Cored and sliced apples
• Crackers or bread toasts

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 5: Walnut-Romaine Salad

Aren't you tired of the everyday lettuce with ranch?  Maybe a carrot or two?  This twist on salad is so simple and good that I've made it twice in one week.  Adapted from Family Circle Magazine:

Walnut-Romaine Salad

Makes 8 servings

• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 5 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 hearts of Romaine lettuce heads (12 cups chopped)
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds, raisins or other dried fruit
• 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 4: Pear Galette

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I made a dessert!  That's highly unusual for me because my only defense against not over indulging in sweets is simply not making them.  This Pear Galette from Family Circle magazine was fun to make and we are still enjoying it today warmed in the microwave and with some honey flavored Greek yogurt and fresh blueberries on the side.

Pear Galette
Serves 8

Dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 tsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 7 to 9 tbsp. ice water
• Flour, for dusting

Pear Filling:

• 4 medium-size ripe Bartlett pears (about 2 lbs.)  (I substituted D'anjou.)
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. apricot preserves

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 3: Vegetable Beef Soup

I just made up this recipe and it worked pretty well.  I froze about half of it for a later date. 


Vegetable Beef Soup  (Serves 6-8)

• 1 to 2 lb. beef stew meat
• 1 bag frozen veggie soup veggies
• 1 15oz. can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 1 32oz. can tomato sauce
• parsley, salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

1.  In a large saucepan cover beef with water.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer gentle for a couple hours to ensure tenderness.
2.  Add remaining ingredients and bring back to a boil.  Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes.  Enjoy!