Fresh Zucchini with Pasta - Testing

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/233454/fresh-zucchini-pasta-sauce/

1 - It is such a simple recipe that a few tweaks made it quite good. With the addition of grated parmesan cheese, the flavor and texture improved very much. A good dish but not necessarily quick since the zucchini needs to sit for an hour. But definitely low effort.

2 - Briefly cooking the garlic worked just fine. I added the cheese in with the zucchini and it made it clump when the mix hit the hot pasta.

2 zucchini, grated
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 Tbsps. olive oil
salt to taste
12 oz spaghettini pasta

1 to 2 oz grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large bowl stir together the zucchini, olive oil and salt. Set aside for flavors to blend, about 1 hour.
2. OPTIONS - you can mix the raw garlic in with the zucchini for the hour if you want a bright garlic flavor OR set the garlic aside and once the pasta is cooked proceed to step 4.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until al dente. Drain and add to the zucchini mixture. 
4. Toss to combine and slightly cook the zucchini.
5. OR once the pasta has drained, add a little oil to the pot the pasta was cooked in and cook the garlic for about a minute over medium heat or just until the sharp aroma mellows, then immediately remove the pot from the heat and put in the zucchini and pasta to combine.
6. Toss with the cheese until combined and serve immediately with grated black pepper on top.

Pierogi Casserole - PUBLISHED

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/18841/pierogi-casserole/
http://www.mrfood.com/Pastas/Pierogi-Lasagna

1. A tasty dish, but requires some additions. The noodles should be cooked al dente before assembling the casserole; the potatoes should be run through a food mill. What surprised me and worked well was the quantity of milk in the potatoes - it seemed too squishy, but it worked fine.
2 - Served it to one whose cultural heritage includes this food and he admitted he could not stop eating it. Good sign! The one observation I made was that it needed more salt.

3 - Totally amazing and good, but not at all calorie-light.

4 - Very nice indeed, and I may just prefer it with yogurt instead of sour cream.

5 - This got gobbled down real quick by 4 people. True that most were German, so... Made it with bacon. Bacon is good.

4-6 servings

5 potatoes, (40oz) 
½ cup milk
⅓ cup butter (2.7oz/76gr), melted (#1)
½ tsp salt 
½ tsp pepper 

2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter (#2)
(Optional: ¼ lb bacon, diced)
2 onions (12oz), chopped
9 lasagna noodles 
2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter (#3)
2 Tbsps. flour
1¼ cups milk
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream
3 Tbsps. chopped fresh chives

1. Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for 10-20 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain and mash with milk and ⅓ cup of butter, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tbsps.' of butter to sauté the onion (if using, add them at the same time to sauté together), until soft and translucent.
3. Meanwhile, boil the water and cook the noodles until just al dente. They cook some more as the dish bakes.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Make the bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan; add the flour and whisk, until the flour starts to turn golden. Stream in the milk, whisking to avoid lumps.
6. Layer the ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish in the following sequence: 
• a single layer of 3 noodles
• ½ of the mashed potatoes
• ⅓ of the cheese
• a single layer of 3 lasagna noodles
• the whole preparation of bechamel
• ½ of the mashed potatoes
• ⅓ of the cheese
• a single layer of 3 lasagna noodles
• ⅓ of the cheese
• onions (and bacon) on top. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Bake, uncovered, in the hot oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh chives. 

Chicken Curry - PUBLISHED

On La Mouffette Gourmande blog, there is a recipe for chicken curry using skinless, boneless chicken breasts which is quite lovely - easy and flavourful. I thought I'd try it with a whole chicken, cut up. The extra fat and flavour from the bones made for a particularly delicious and unctuous dish.
2 - I had no raisins, but I did have candied ginger. It worked great! I figured that the raisins added a sweetness, and the ginger would, too. I also switched the moment I add the curry powder.
3 - I ended up just replacing the original chicken breast-only recipe on LaMouffetteGourmande with this one.

2 Tbsps. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
2 Tbsps mild flavoured vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. generic curry powder
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup raisins OR candied ginger
1 1/2 Tbsps tomato paste
garnish - chopped fresh cilantro
garnish - plain yogurt

1. Cut up your chicken into 8 pieces and remove the skin.
2. In a paper or plastic bag, mix together the flour, salt and cayenne pepper. Add the chicken and shake well to coat.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
4. Dump the chicken and any remaining flour into the pan and cook until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Add the onion and garlic to the pan, adding a little more oil if necessary, and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the curry powder and toss to coat then add the broth, raisins, and tomato paste (it doesn't matter if the onion is completely cooked). 
6. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the breast registers 165F or juices run clear.
7. If necessary, remove the chicken and cook down the sauce to the desired thickness.
8. Garnish with cilantro and a dollop of plain yogurt.
9. Serve over the rice.

Test 1 - Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

http://www.food.com/recipe/tomato-cucumber-and-red-onion-salad-180329

This is best eaten fresh - although you want the cucumber to absorb the marinade, if you finish it to far in advance, the other vegetables will absorb too much vinegar and be overly tart.

2 large cucumbers, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced
1⁄3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
2⁄3 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh basil leaf
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl, toss together the cucumbers, vinegar, sugar and salt. 
2. Chop the onion and soak it in water to remove some of its bite.
3. Let both stand at room temperature for an hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Drain the onions and a to the cucumbers, along with the tomatoes, basil and oil. Toss to blend. 
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Testing - Simple thyme rack of lamb

I've never roasted a rack of lamb before, it looked so complicated. Now that we buy a half of a lamb at a time, part of what we get is the rack, so I've got to figure out how to prepare it. Looking into things, I realize it's a relatively quick thing. At first I was apprehensive about the Frenching of the rib bones, then suspected this may be unnecessary, and found my confirmation, thank to Google from two trusted sources : Serious Eats, and the Seattle Times. No Frenching for this cook, and more lamb!

The recipe below I think has all the basics, but is such a mish-mash of recipes that I didn't bother to save the sources. I'll likely be rewording things to my liking as I experiment with the techniques and the flavouring.

1 - Hmmm, I may not be posh enough to appreciate rack of lamb. I did not enjoy eating it. Perhaps I should have it in a restaurant to see if I may understand it better, then.

1 rack of lamb (about 2lbs) (Frenching optional)
15 to 20 fingerling potatoes
3 Tbsps olive oil
A few sprigs of thyme, leaved and minced.
Salt and pepper

1. Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the bottom third. Meanwhile, let the lamb sit at room temperature.
2. Generously season the racks all over with salt and pepper. 
3. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. 
4. Place the lamb rack fat-side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, rotating the rack to brown as much of the fat as possible (you’re just trying to brown the fat, so don’t worry about flipping the rack over), about 3 to 4 minutes total. 
5. Transfer the rack to a rimmed baking sheet, fat side up with the bones facing the same direction. Sprinkle with half of the minced thyme.
6. Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, and season with the remaining thyme, salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes around lamb.
7. Roast, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre registers 125°F to 130°F for rare, about 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer the rack to a cutting board and let it rest uncovered for about 15 minutes.
8. Return potatoes to oven. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes more (the time it takes to let the rack rest)
9. Carve the rack into 4 (2-bone) chops and arrange them on a platter. (Some of the coating may fall off—just sprinkle it back on the lamb.) Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Test 3 - Indian-inspired Omelette

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/omelet-turmeric-tomato-onions

1 - This was good, but I wonder if I can combine the refinement of Laura's omelette with the lovely flavours of this one.
2 - I've made it a few times with onion and the flavors are still very good.
3 - March 22, 2018: Tonight it didn't work out, because I didn't read the recipe. It's because I doubled the recipe, so I cooked the onion and tomato, set aside, then added the spices, along with the salt, instead of beating the eggs and salt together as is instructed in the recipe. No change in the testing status.
4 - April 5 2019: made it with spring chives and tomatoes I'd frozen (keeps the fresh taste you lose when it's been canned). Delicious!

5 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
2 green onions, or 14 chive stems, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh tomato
Dash of black pepper

1. Whisk together eggs and salt.
2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add mustard seeds and turmeric; cook until the mustard seeds start to pop. 
3. Add onions; cook until soft, then add tomato and cook until very soft, stirring frequently.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and tilt it to evenly spread the liquid egg. Cook until the edges begin to set. Then, gently lift the edges, first on one side then the other, tilting the pan to allow some of the uncooked egg to seep underneath and cook. 
5. Once the top is set but still glistening, loosen the omelette and fold it over before sliding it onto a platter. Sprinkle with black pepper.

PUBLISHED - Pasta with creamy pear sauce

1 - this was a hit! My one mistake was not toasting the walnuts. And I believe I'd rather sprinkle them on just before adding the parmesan garnish at the end.
2 - I made this for a group of 14 people, and they loved it. I served it with toasted pine nuts for lack of walnuts.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/linguine-with-pears-and-gorgonzola-cheese-4297

1/4 cup butter
4 pears (2 lbs), peeled, cored,sliced 1/3 inch thick
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 oz Cambozola cheese, cubed
1/2 + 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 pound pasta, freshly cooked
OPTIONAL 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pinenuts, toasted

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pears and sauté until tender and beginning to brown but not soft, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
2. Add rosemary to the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth, Cambozola cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and cream. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of spoon, about 6 minutes. Return the pears and any accumulated juices to the sauce. 
3. Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil and cook the pasta.
4. Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a skillet, over medium-high heat.
5. When pasta is cooked, turn on the heat under the sauce, dump the pasta into the sauce and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
6. Before serving, garnish with the walnuts and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Loire Valley Pear and Chocolate Tart - PUBLISHED

1 - Tried leaving the pears whole, but the baked custard is not so attractive to my eye. I think the whole pear works fine, it's just the expanse of custard. NEXT - how else could I cut the pear to have it look nice and avoid the thin slicing hell with super ripe pears?
2 - I think this one graduates to La Mouffette. I've made it multiple times, all to good reviews. I've resolved the slicing of the pears and I'm happy with the result.

Part 1 - the pie crust

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp. + cold water

1. Follow the instructions for the Cookie Pie Crust, but substitute the vanilla for 1 egg yolk and be careful about the amount of water you add to avoid having a wet dough. 
2. Put the crust to chill for at least 15 minutes.

Part 2 - the filling

4 oz 70% dark chocolate, chopped fine

3-4 pears cut in half, peeled and cored

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. After chilling the crust, sprinkle in the chopped chocolate, and arrange the pear halves, cut-side down, to fill the crust as completely as possible, most easily accomplished if arranged in an attractive flower pattern.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, yolk, cream and vanilla to make a simple custard.
4. Pour the custard over the pears so that the have all been touched by the custard - this will help them brown nicely. This is most easily accomplished if you use a spoon to ladle the custard over the pear halves.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350F and cook an additional 25-30 minutes.
6. If the pears have not caramelized, put under the broiler until they do.