What a banner week this has been! Two books that I won arrived in the mail, Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for all Things Sweet and Wonderful by Barbara Fairchild, A Holiday Yarn by Sally Goldenbaum (a Christmas mystery in the cozy genre for knitting fans -- that would be me) and my own purchase of Dorie Greenspan's amazing tome, Around my French Table. Where to begin? I ask you. Where? Windy, icy, raw weather kept me in, so I was limited by what we had on hand. Thanks to Dorie, I was able to make a delicious, rich, woodsy mushroom soup with relatively few, rather common ingredients. A great appetizer, hearty lunch, or dinner starter, it's great at any time of the day. PARIS MUSHROOM SOUP Prep 25 minutes Cook: 30 minutes Makes: 6 servings This soup can be served over a small salad of raw mushrooms seasoned with salt, pepper, chopped chives and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to 2 months. 2 tablespoons butter 1-1/2 large onions, coarsely chopped 3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped Salt and freshly ground white pepper 1-1/2 pounds white mushrooms, trimmed, sliced 2 parsley sprigs 1 rosemary sprig 1/3 cup dry white wine 6 cups chicken broth or water Creme fraiche, optional the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining tablespoon of the butter. Raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high; cook until almost all the liquid evaporates. Pour in the wine; let boil until almost evaporated. Add the broth and herbs; heat to a boil. Lower the heat; cover the pot almost completely. Simmer 20 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig. Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Taste for salt and white pepper. Pour the soup back into the pot; heat over low heat until hot. Serve garnished with creme fraiche. Indulge yourself in some tasty holiday reading.

My passion for portobellos prevails, this time taking me in the direction of a taste-tempting mushroom sauce to top a fillet. This relatively easy, on the table in 45 minutes, company-worthy dish is certain to dazzle. Considering how impressive it is, you will not believe the ease. This is something I doubtless could consume once a week with no problem. If you often struggle to find recipes that make dinner for two, this one is perfect and mighty impressive. I just made one filet for myself, kept the sauce as is, and used it to top a baked potato for dinner the following day. Filet Mignon with Portobello Mushroom Sauce Adapted from epicurious.com 1 slice bacon 1 garlic clove, mashed to a paste 1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 pound Melissa’s portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin 2 tablespoons cognac 2 tablespoons water 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves 1/3 cup heavy cream 2 filet Mignon, each about 1-inch thick In a 9-inch sauté pan, cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble and reserve. Wipe skillet clean. In same skillet cook garlic in 1 tablespoon butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper to taste, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until liquid from mushrooms starts to evaporate. Start in cognac and boil until nearly evaporated. Stir in water, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce, and boil until sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in heavy cream; heat through. Transfer sauce to a small saucepan and stir in reserved bacon and parsley. Keep warm while you make the steaks. Pat filets dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. In skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until foam begins to subside and sauté filets four minutes per side for medium rare meat (I did mine five minutes per side). Divide filets between two plates and top with sauce. Heaven! PRINT RECIPE Coffee-Rubbed Filet Mignon is yet another delicious filet-based dinner for two. This post contains affiliate links.

I have a seriously short attention span. Sometimes that worries me. Case in point, I was at the market the other day eyeballing the huge stack of local peaches. Peaches are one of my favorite fruits, so I was trying to decide which size bag I wanted to buy. I didn’t want to overdo it as I have done with things in the past (you know how I can be), so I decided to go for a 3-pound bag. I turned my body as I was reaching for the bag and, in the doing, spotted a sale on avocados. Before you could say “guacamole” I was standing by a bin full of avocados that were on special. I haven’t had guacamole in ages, and I love it on top of a turkey sandwich, and, hey, turkey is on sale at the deli! But, I thought to myself, I also need good bread. Hey! Fresh bread is on sale in the bakery. So, I picked out the best avocados from the bunch, bagged them up and put them in my cart, headed straight for the deli counter where I bought not only turkey, but ham that was also on sale, bread, and felt quite chuffed as I made my way to the checkout. It wasn’t until I got home and started unpacking things that I realized the checker had not rung up my peaches. Then I realized it was because they weren’t in my cart. Sigh. I did have the great fortune to receive a good number of Melissa’s Organic Plum Bites, so I decided, why be locked into peach cobbler? I will make plum! It was exceptionally good, and I think I may make this again before the season is out. Plums are a favorite of mine, but if they’re not a favorite of yours, I really think you could probably use any stone fruit in this cobbler. It’s easy to make, and absolute heaven when topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream. Plum Cobbler 3 lbs. Melissa’s Organic Plum Bites, seeded, cut into thin wedges 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon cornstarch Topping 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Few gratings fresh nutmeg 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1/4 cup boiling water Sanding sugar for top Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss plums with sugar, lemon juice, almond extract, and cornstarch in a 2-qt. nonreactive baking dish and bake in middle of the oven 10 minutes. While plums are baking. Place all topping ingredients EXCEPT WATER into a food processor, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With motor running, stream in water just until combined. Remove plums from oven and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. (Topping will spread as it bakes.) Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake in middle of oven until topping is golden, about 20-25 minutes. PRINT RECIPE These Simple Plum Tarts are another super simple, delicious plum dessert. This post is linked to: Happiness is Homemade Sunday What’s for Dinner Sunday Dishing It & Digging It Full Plate Thursday Thursday Favorite Things Funtastic Friday This post contains affiliate links.

This post contains affiliate links. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a fan of Susan Herrmann Loomis. I had three of her books already in my culinary library (Farmhouse Cookbook, Italian Farmhouse Cookbook, and Clambakes & Fish Fries), when Plat du Jour came into my possession thanks to Melissa’s Produce. I like her style, I like the time and research that she puts into writing each cookbook, and I love her recipes. Her love for France and its cuisine shines through in all of her books, but particularly here. She wants to share this love with her readers, and consequently has created this book on making [what may seem to be complicated] French dishes into easy every day fare. I enjoy this book as much for the recipes for the side dishes as I do for the mains. Her sides are unique, easy to prepare, and intensely flavorful. What she does with mashed potatoes (a bay leaf added to the cooking water and nutmeg added to the mix) has altered the way I view and prepare mashed potatoes. This is not to say that the main dishes aren’t equally wonderful, case in point the Butter-Drizzled Seared Steak with Potato Gratin. She is a genius with chicken; her Roast Chicken with Fresh Tarragon is particularly good, as is the Golden Roast Chicken with Shallots and Apples, the perfect dish to welcome fall. I feel a kinship with the French in that love their eggs, and so do I. If you feel the same, you will no doubt enjoy her various ways in which to prepare them, my personal favorite being her Country Omelette with Wild Mushrooms and Potatoes. If you are a lover of poached eggs, you will enjoy her recipe for Mushrooms with “Broken Eggs” (so simple to prepare, and yet so satisfyingly delicious). In addition to all of the wonderful things you’re going to learn about France and French cuisine, you are going to come to know Susan as well, thanks to her wonderful tips, sides, bits of history, and other such comments. One thing I really appreciated was that each recipe tells you what equipment you’re going to need, preparation time, cooking time, as well as level of difficulty. Inexperienced cooks, particularly, will find this invaluable. She is very honest in describing difficulty level, in some cases stating that while the recipe is not difficult it does require patience. I really appreciated that aspect. This book is also loaded with beautiful, mouthwatering photos, an absolute must for every cookbook, in my opinion. Even though I am older and experienced, I still appreciate having a colorful photo of what the end product is supposed to look like for my own personal comparison. Whether or not you, like me, have “known” Susan for a long time, or if this will be your introduction to her, you are thoroughly going to enjoy this book. Buy it, read it, cook from it. Recommended. Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Melissa’s Produce in exchange for an honest review.

I am finishing out Mushroom Week with this delicious and easy, on-the-table-in-30-minutes meal, Creamy Parmesan Chicken Florentine. While this can, indeed, be on the table in 30 minutes, it helps to start the day ahead by marinating the chicken breasts in buttermilk. If you have never done this, trust me when I tell you that this should be your new practice with absolutely every dish that you make that uses chicken, and I am talking every single one, including chicken salad, or even if you’re just adding pieces of cooked chicken to a chef salad. It makes a world of difference, because that buttermilk helps to break down any toughness the chicken may possess, and it will come out juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Creamy Parmesan Chicken Florentine 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and halved* 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup unsalted butter 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 Melissa’s shallot, minced 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cracked pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 to 3 handfuls baby spinach In a large sauté pan, melt oil and butter together. Sauté the chicken on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate, tent, and set aside. Put sliced mushrooms into the pan, cook and stir until softened. Remove with slotted spoon to bowl; set aside Add the 1/4 cup butter to the pan and allow to melt. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook until partially thickened. Whisk in chicken stock, cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Add the spinach, and allow to simmer until sauce starts to thicken and the spinach is wilted. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, heat through, and serve atop the pasta of your choice. Makes 4 servings *You learned how to do that here. PRINT RECIPE Another easy and excellent chicken dish is this toothsome Chicken Piccata. This post is linked to: Happiness is Homemade Sunday What’s for Dinner Sunday Dishing It & Digging It Cooking & Crafting with J&J Amaze Me Monday Busy Mondays Over the Moon Celebrate Your Story Full Plate Thursday This post contains affiliate links.

Number one son and his family came for dinner on Friday night, so I had to make a memorable dessert. My grandkids know me as the grandma with lots of toys who makes great desserts, so I have a bit of a reputation to keep. I had spotted this cake on the I Am Baker blog, and thought I would give it a try. I found this very easy to put together, it can be made in stages and stored overnight, if need be, and it was spectacular! The following night, I served it to number two son and his wife, and they went crazy as well. This is a cake that has made its way into my permanent repertoire, and I don’t say this lightly. It is one that is going to be made again and again, and, thanks to the change up of decorative sprinkles, can be served any time of the year. This must be experienced to be believed. Make it! Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Mousse Slightly adapted (and renamed) from I Am Baker CHOCOLATE CAKE 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 cup buttermilk room temperature ½ cup vegetable oil 2 extra-large eggs, room temperature 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE ½ cup heavy whipping cream 4 oz. cream cheese ½ cup creamy peanut butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract ½ cup confectioners' sugar 1 tbsp. whole milk GANACHE 16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 cups heavy cream, room temperature CHOCOLATE CAKE Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8” round cake pans (I use Baker’s Joy.) Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the work bowl of your stand mixer, and mix until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. To the bowl of the stand mixer, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, with the mixer on low speed. With mixer still on low, add the coffee, and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick comes out mostly clean (not wet). Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Scoop the whipped cream into a small bowl and place in refrigerator. In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla, and beat until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add confectioners sugar and beat again for another minute. Add the milk and beat until smooth, about 20-30 seconds. Fold the chilled whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture and stir until combined. GANACHE Heat the heavy cream in a quart-sized, microwavable container and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes on high, or until it just begins to simmer. Be careful not to allow the cream to boil over. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips, and let stand for at least 2 minutes so that it can thicken. (Ganache should be cool when pouring over cake.) When ready to pour over chilled cake, whisk the ganache until smooth and then pour. TO ASSEMBLE When ready to assemble cake, spread peanut butter filling over one layer of chocolate cake, then set the other layer on top. Chill. Cover with prepared ganache. Chill cake until ready to serve. This post contains affiliate links.

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