Gourmet Shepherd's Pie

When I offered to host a dinner for 13 people, I went hunting to find a special recipe that would feed a big group. I also wanted it to be gourmet-y because I know that "love is in the details." I found this Gourmet Shepherd's Pie recipe on Epicurious.com. Such a perfect winter feast! The ingredients such as lamb, pearl onions, leeks, turnips, and white wine made me smile and I knew it would do the same for our friends.




Again, I had the help of NYCSalt student Devin Osorio. He is an incredible sioux chef. He did a lot of the hard work like skinning the pearl onions and chopping up the turnips.

While guests waited for the pie to come out of the oven, we served them our Holiday Bourbon Ginger Snap


Devin and I had a couple of really good laughs.
1. We got the wrong turnips and ended up having to pull them out of the pot one by one.
2. I lit my oven mit on fire
3. Burned a pan
4. We let the lamb braise a little too long which braised away some of the important details, however the flavor was still delicious!

I highly recommend this recipe for something special.

Gourmet Shepherd's Pie Recipe


KSW

My Run In with Chocolate Soufflé

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to try my first Chocolate Soufflé. I mean, how hard could it be? After all, my recipe was from Real Simple. I had to double the recipe because we would be feeding so many. Big mistake! I am fake smiling in this photo. I was exhausted!!!



The best part about it was the Brandy Créme Anglaise.

I wouldn't recommed this recipe to anyone unless you have a lot of patience and couple of friends to help you.

Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé with Brandy Créme Angaise Recipe

Mountain Pies!

The day after Thanksgiving, we stopped for dinner at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort. We had been Christmas shopping all day and we were hungry!

While we waited for our food to arrive, we made our way outside to enjoy the fire pit. To our surprise, there was a chef making mountain pies!

Ingredients: Sliced Bread & ANYTHING & EVERYTHING you can imagine!
Meats, Cheese, Jam, Chocolate, Marshmellows, Bananas, etc. You just stuff the bread with whatever you want and stick it in the fire.

We loved them so much that we bought a bunch for Aunt Mary's cabin.







Perfect for a tired cook!

KSW

Love is in The Details

This is what I told Devin, one of my photography students from NYCSalt who helped me prepare a dinner for 13 people in our home last weekend.

I was so excited to put up the new hat hanger Seth's & Aunt Uncle bought us in Bedford, PA. Note: the antique door knobs!





We made the napkins a bit more personal by wrapping little bits of cinnamon around them with twine.



Devin working hard!



I stole my Thanksgiving idea, but accomplished it "City Style" by using store bought natural items instead. The pinecones, cinnamon sticks and cranberrys were so fragrant! We just tied twine around mason jars and stuck candles inside.



You can't go wrong with rocks, candles and pinecones!



Lastly, be sure to have a cheese board out for when your guests begin to arrive & you are still cooking, which is pretty typical in the Whalen household.

KSW

Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar

The other night Seth & I were having drinks with an old friend in the East Village. On the way there, we passed by the cutest little alcove style wine & tasting bar. Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar. I haven't eaten there yet, but have read some reviews and plan to make that my next gastro-infused date night! Wanna come?


"Jack Lamb, the suave, super-dapper, pocket-square-sporting, Hog-ridin' gastropreneur—whose culinary fiefdom includes Jewel Bako and Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar—has been known to behave somewhat like a fickle schoolgirl when it comes to opening and closing restaurants. The sixteen-seat space that was previously Grace's Kalbi Bar and before that Jewel Bako Robata has seamlessly become an elegant tapas bar (or "Franco-Spanish-inspired small plates" restaurant in Lambspeak), where Wesley Genovart, a Perry St. grad who looks to be about 12, fusses over his bite-size creations in plain view of diners seated side-by-side at the food bar. With its reverential service, its frequent changes of silverware, and assorted other flourishes, this isn't your ordinary toothpick-flying, sangría-flowing tapas bar. Genovart's menu makes use of such currently fashionable A.W. (After Wylie) cooking techniques and ingredients as sous vide and xanthan gum. But nothing tastes forced or contrived. Flavors, for the most part, are bold and harmonious, and often so rich that the smallish portions make perfect sense."

— Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

KSW

My Favorite Thanksgiving Day Recipes

Thanksgiving morning always begins the same for me. After enjoying a cup of coffee (preferably by the fire), I begin making the roasted garlic & onions for my herb butter. These items go along way in any kitchen.

Roasted Garlic & Onions

-Preheat oven to 400°

-Place 2 medium sized onions and 2 heads of garlic each on it's own square piece of tin foil

-Drizzle each item with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, wrap loosely and place on oven rack for 30-40 minutes until fragrant

While your garlic is roasting, chop up your fresh herbs, 1 TBS each
-Thyme
-Rosemary
-Sage
-Fresh Parsley

Once your garlic has been roasted, take 2 sticks of unsalted butter and add your fresh herbs, 4 cloves of the soft, roasted garlic, salt & pepper.

You can set that aside somewhere until you are ready to prepare your turkey. I rub this roasted garlic & herb butter all over my turkey and even put generous amounts underneath the skin. The herb butter is also great for basting and you can add it to your mashed potatoes, gravy, etc.

In the meantime, your family & friends need something to snack on to get them excited for the meal.

I love making candied walnuts or mixed nuts. I set them in the kitchen where I'm cooking to ensure that I don't get lonely.

This year, I used walnuts. I coated them in honey and brown sugar and placed them in the oven at 400° until fragrant.

Uncle Stephen admitted that he liked my recipe from last year better...it was gooier and more sinful! Last Year's Recipe so you can decide for yourself.

If you slice a pomegranate into 4-6 parts and leave it on a giant cutting board, throughout the afternoon, the seeds get eaten. It's a fun snack. Just be sure to keep napkins close by.

Next, I prep the string beans for my Green Bean and Tomato Salad, and then I macerate the shallots for the salad which should be done a few hours in advance. For our group, I have to double this recipe.

-2 large shallots thinly sliced and put in medium sized bowl
-pour 1/4 cup red wine vinegar over the shallots and let them sit (2-3 hours)

While the shallots are macerating, I have time to prep the turkey.

While the turkey is in the oven, I throw on my boots and head outside to find natural treasures to decorate with. This year I rounded up the troops!

My mother in law, husband, and Uncle all followed me around with baskets and bags and humored me (bless them!) as I instructed them to "find color!"

Once you've got your treasures, de-thorn them and clean them up a bit, and then separate them into categories to make the decorating easier.

What we did this year, was tie our natural pieces to mason jars and make them into candle holders which we used to line the staircase & decorate our table.We found a bunch of twigs and made miniature scrolls that we used as place settings. Each person's scroll had a family member's name inside. We then had to write a list on the scroll of all the things we're thankful for about that person. After dinner and cleanup, we all sat around the fire and shared them with each other.Once the table decorations are finished, it's time to head back to the kitchen.

There is a specialty drink to be made, and this year, my husband and I chose the Bourbon Ginger Snap.

Now I've got a little time to get cleaned up and dressed up for dinner! After showering, I finish my Green Bean and Tomato Salad.

-In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the green beans until tender but still firm to the bite 1.5-2 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain well.

-3 pints of red and yellow cherry or pear tomatoes, halved lengthwise

-Dressing: Take the macerated shallots and whisk in 1 TBS of dijon-style mustard. Add salt & pepper and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Stir in 1/2 cup of freshly shredded basil.

-In a bowl, toss the beans with half of the dressing. Arrange them on one side of a large platter. Toss the tomatoes with the remaining dressing and mound them next to the beans.

Believe it or not, this is the ONLY photo I have of this dish! It's taken from the cookbook where I got the recipe which is called "Great Recipes For Great Weekends."



This time of year, I can often only find the red pear tomatoes, but the bright color still makes the Thanksgiving Day plate pop! Don't you think?



KSW