Monday, July 27, 2009

Not much cooking this weekend...


Kim with Dogfish Head, originally uploaded by Kim De.

...but for good causes!

Saturday I spent a few hours at the Music City Brewersfest with a good friend. It was fun, and a bit hot, so a hot dinner wasnt in the cards. I had made bread and set it to rise while I was gone. When I got home, I got it ready to bake and when dinner time came around, we decided bread, cheese and wine sounded like a nice light dinner.

The bread was nice, fit it's purpose perfectly. I made Saltgrass Steakhouse Shiner Bock Bread (nostalgia from when I lived in Texas). It tasted just like you expect a steakhouse bread to taste- light and airy with a spongy texture, good developed flavor, nothing amazing but great with butter or cheese.


Sunday we also had a light dinner, as we had spent some time at a bar with pizza and beer and thought vegetables were definitely in order! Flank steak was marinated in red wine and crushed garlic then grilled. With it I made Broccoli and Three Cheese Casserole from Cooking Light.



Broccoli Casserole is one of my favorite dishes from childhood. This was similar, with healthier spins. Brown rice replaces the white, absent is cream-of-ANY soup, and there is much more broccoli. Instead of everything being mixed, the rice is mixed with egg to form a "crust" with the other ingredients layered on top. It was fabulous! Nutty fontina cheese adds amazing depth and while it was drier than I am used to, I could really taste the broccoli, which stayed tender-crisp, making me feel healthy! This one will be used again!



Saltgrass Steakhouse Shiner Bock Beer Bread

1 1/2 cups Shiner Bock Beer (flat)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp dry active yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add honey and stir. Mix in wheat flour, salt and all- purpose flour in bowl. Stir in oil and slowly add flat beer. Mix all ingredients together. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for at least 10 to 15 minutes. The dough may need a little more flour added to it if becomes too sticky. The finished dough will feel smooth and spongy and will not stick to your hands.

2. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic until it
doubles in size. Do not place dough in a draft or in an overheated area. The dough should be left to rise at room temperature.

3. When dough has doubled, punch down in the middle and let rest for 5 minutes.

4. Divide dough into four equal parts and shape into round loaves. Place loaves on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Score twice on top of each loaf with a knife two inches apart and about 2 1/2 inches long. Cover loosely with plastic wrap until the loaves have doubled in size. Place in a preheated 350 F oven, and bake for about 30 minutes.


Broccoli and Three-Cheese Casserole (Adapted from CL)

2 cups cooked brown basmati rice
2 oz fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp dried nutmeg
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large egg
1 egg white
3 oz shredded fontina cheese
4 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 oz shredded sharp white cheddar
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine cooked rice, 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, tarragon, thyme, parsley, crushed red pepper, 2 T mustard, egg and egg white. Scoop mixture into a 7 x 11" baking dish lightly coated with nonstick spray. Use a fork to press the mixture into the bottom to form a crust. Evenly scatter fontina over the rice.

3. Steam broccoli just until crisp tender.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until
tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the steamed broccoli. Scoop broccoli
mixture evenly over rice mixture. Scatter the top with the shredded cheddar.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, egg white, 2 T mustard, milk,
remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the broccoli mixture.

6. In a small bowl, toss together panko breadcrumbs and remaining 1 ounce of shredded Parmesan. Scatter the top of the casserole with this mixture.

7. Bake until set and the top is golden - about 24-28 minutes. Remove and set on a wire rack - let sit for about 5-10 minutes before cutting to serve.

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