Creamed Onion Gratin

from Saveur magazine

This summer, I started subscribing to Saveur magazine, and man, I just love getting that thing. Have I talked about this before? It's such a relaxing, fun treat for me. I haven't subscribed to a magazine in ages, partially because you can find just about all of the content online. (In fact, even though I originally found this recipe in the magazine, I used the identical recipe posted at www.saveur.com.) But there is something I just love about reading the magazine cover-to-cover. So there.

Anyway, doing just that helped me to know exactly what I wanted to make when our friends the Jacobs...Jacobses?...had a group of folks over pre-Christmas for a little holiday potluck. Saveur had a whole article on different types of onions (who knew?!), and associated recipes. Creamed onion gratin stood out as something not too hard, and also as something totally not in my wheelhouse. (Although, as it turns out, the sauce is basically a bechamel, so, you know, it at least has that in common with our family's lasagna!)

Ohhhhh man, this is soooo decadently, richly delicious. So wonderfully bad for you. The photo in no way does it justice - particularly since I took the photo before bringing it to the potluck, where I then quickly popped the dish under the broiler to make the cheese nice and golden and just a little crisp. A great side-dish, especially for the holidays. Great with a little bread.

SERVES 6–8
2 medium yellow onions, halved and quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
3 oz gorgonzola, crumbled
1/4 tsp paprika

Heat oven to 350. Toss onions with oil in a 9″x11″ baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Bake, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 1 hour, and then set aside. Heat oven to broil.

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; add flour, and cook, stirring, until smooth, about 1 minute. Add cream and wine, and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Pour sauce evenly over onions. Sprinkle with parmesan, dot with gorgonzola, and sprinkle with paprika. Broil until cheese is melted and golden brown on top, about 2 minutes.

Hotcakes (Naga Jolokia Chocolate Cupcakes)

(adapted...heavily...from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)

Joef's passion for spicy food knows no boundaries. Entrees, mixed drinks, and now desserts. Well, I suppose we broke the dessert barrier with Naga Jolokia hot fudge. But now we've increased our repertoire to include cupcakes, Joef's own creation.

I had to persuade Joef not to bring these as a surprise to a dinner party - all participants were fully warned about the heat factor before indulging. Which is a good thing, because these are really, really spicy. They pack a punch. There is something about Naga Jolokia - a smokiness - that makes them go very well with chocolate. So, while Martha would undoubtedly not approve, they were really yummy, too. Plus, Joef is a way better baker than I am. It's in his blood. I just don't have the patience for the accuracy required.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 18)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp Naga Jolokia powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup warm water

Preheat your oven to 350, and line standard muffin tins with paper liners. With an electric mixer on medium, whisk together all the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and Naga Jolokia. Do not breathe the mixture in - it'll burn. Reduce speed on your mixer to low, then add eggs, water, buttermilk, oil, extract, and water. Beat until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through cooking time, about 20 minutes (or until a piece of spaghetti inserted into the centers comes out clean). Transfer to wire racks to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the tins and let them cook completely before topping with frosting (see below).

Fluffy Vanilla Frosting (makes about 4 cups, way more than you need)
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides. After every two additions, raise the speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate the frosting, then return to medium. This process should take about 5 minutes, and the frosting should be very light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla and beat until frosting is smooth. Bring to room temp before using, then beat on low speed until smooth again for about 5 minutes.

Wounded Warrior Project

This April, Joef and I are participating in our second year of Tough Mudder, this time with Joef's dad! Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile extreme obstacle course designed by British Special Forces, and it's amazingly intense and amazingly fun.

One of the best things about Tough Mudder (besides the mud) is that it raises money for the Wounded Warrior Project. The Wounded Warrior Project has three goals:

• To raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members.
• To help injured service members aid and assist each other.
• To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

This year, I've pledged to help raise money for the Project, and I appreciate any support you're able to give. You can pledge online directly at: http://www.raceit.com/fundraising/donate.aspx?event=6863&fundraiser=r1849385. All donations are tax-deductible. Funds raised help support thousands of warriors returning from the battlefield by providing combat stress recovery programs, adaptive sports, benefits counseling, education and employment services, and other programs.

THANK YOU in advance for your support!

For more on the Wounded Warrior Project: http://toughmudder.com/wounded-warrior-project/
Fore more on Tough Mudder: http://toughmudder.com/
View my fundraising page at: https://www.raceit.com/fundraising/fundraise.aspx?event=6863&fundraiser=4285

Pork Chop and Barley Stew

Well, we're back from two weeks in India! What a phenomenal trip. Definitely inspired to dive back into my Indian cookbook and try that more in earnest.

In the meantime, I have about five recipes waiting to be posted, so I need to get cracking. I don't even remember when I made this one, but it was great! Fantastic for winter. I never cook with barley, and was somehow under the impression that I don't like it, which is most definitely not the case. And I love cooking with a bone-in meat - the flavors are just that much better. One thing I did learn about barley is that it's very absorbent - so this was pretty thick. You could put less barley in if you wanted a soupier consistency, but I feel like the creaminess makes it more of a comfort food.

2 bone-in pork chops, diced (leave some meat on the bones
Salt
Pepper
Hungarian paprika
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small onions
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
10 baby carrots, sliced thin
2 plum tomatoes, diced
8 cups chicken broth
Turmeric
1 cup barley
Olive oil

Start with a large, heavy pot. Brown the pork chops, including the bones, on both sides in a little olive oil and garlic over medium-high heat, sprinkling with salt, pepper, and a little paprika. Add the onions, celery, and carrots (you can add a bit more olive oil if it's dry), and stir occasionally until they start to soften. Add the chicken broth, barley, and tomatoes, and add a pinch of turmeric and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until the barley is cooked, about 1 hour.