South Beach Diet, Day 1

After joining the gym with my new parter, Mr. GreenEyes, I decided it was no use working out while eating unhealthy junk. So, I looked into the South Beach Diet again. I realized that I had only ever looked into Phase 1, which is a pity and wonderful news at the same time! While phase 1 excludes many foods I like, Phase 2 is much more liberal, allowing rice, grains, fruits, and other foods I love. Plus, I have learned that many healthy foods can actually taste delicious.

So, Mr. GreenEyes and decided to go SB together. Make our hard work count. Last week we practiced a couple dishes, half on half off, but we also spent time creating a mealplan with the help of the South Beach Diet - Supercharged book so that we could begin Phase I full force this week. Yesterday we went shopping together (YAY!!! My idea of quality time!) and today we began Phase I.

For breakfast/morning snack (I woke up late) I had a Pure Protein bar, and then we went to the gym. I ran and did my lower body routine.

For lunch, Mr. GreenEyes made SB Roast Beef and Horse Radish Roll Ups. They were super easy to make and FABULOUS!!! What a great start!!!! I would eat these again anytime. Yum.

Anyway, here is the recipe. To help us get organized, we are using a software that seems really neat so far, called MacGourmet Deluxe. It's easy to make web recipes into recipes within the program, but paper recipes have to be typed in.

Tonight, we are having Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Summer Squash and Green Olives. Well, we'll be omitting the green olives. I'll let you know how it turns out later!

Emile Henry Flame Tarte Tatin - Caramelized Onions and Portobello Mushrooms

Over the last year I have been increasingly more successful in cooking, and thus became comfortable experimenting with recipes and changing ingredients around. However, this is my very first recipe, dreamed up by moi! It is also the first Tatin I made in my EH Flame set!

To give proper credit where it is due, it was adapted from a fabulous recipe by Forage, called Pumpkin Tarte Tatin with Caramelised Onions.

For those who do not know, Tarte Tatin is an upside down apple pie-like dish created by the Tatin sisters, of the Tatin hotel in France, in the late 1800s. The story varies from a pie falling upside down on the floor to apples that cooked for too long, but the result is reportedly fabulous. Wanting to save the apple Tatin for a party or a special occasion, I made mine with caramelized onions and portobello mushrooms. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 packages portobello mushrooms, sliced
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon truffle oil, spritzed on the portobellos
1 egg, whisked into a glaze
1 sheet puff pastry
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground


Directions
I broke them down into several steps for simplicity, but don't be shy, it's VERY easy to make.

1. Set puff pastry to thaw in the fridge (avoid thawing at room temperature, as it will become sticky and difficult to unfold).

2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Set portobello slices on a cookie sheet and spray with truffle oil or olive oil. Lightly sprinkle with brown sugar and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in tarte tatin dish over low heat, than increase to medium heat.

5. Slice red onion thinly. Add 2 tbsps garlic and onions to dish.

6. Add 2-3 tbsps brown sugar, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Add the onions and caramelize slowly, approximately for 10 minutes. Towards the end of this period, add salt and freshly ground pepper, as well as any herbs you may like.

7. Once onions are caramelized, remove with tongs and reserve with mushrooms.

8. Add 2 tbsps of butter to tarte tatin dish, 2-3 tbsps of brown sugar, and 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar.

9. In the meatime, unfold puff pastry onto a sheet of parchment paper (do not roll out, as this will remove its puffiness) and, joining smaller pieces as needed, make a circle the size of the tarte tatin dish.

10. Whisk one egg with one tbsp. of cold water. Brush this glaze onto one side of the puff pastry.

11. Once mixture is caramelizing, re-add onions to the dish. Then add mushroom slices and arrange the mushrooms in concentric circles. Add any final seasonings and herbs.

12. Place puff pastry GLAZED SIDE DOWN over the contents of the tarte tatin dish. Brush egg glaze over the top of the pastry, and perforate with a fork several times.

13. Place the dish in the oven, which should have remained at 350 degrees. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the pastry appears cooked and is golden brown.

14. Remove tarte tatin dish from the oven, and place a larger, flat serving dish over it. You will be flipping the dishes AWAY from you. Holding both dishes FIRMLY with heat resistant pads or mittens, flip with quickly and with confidence. Voila! Your tarte tatin is ready to be enjoyed.

TIP: You may add some soft cheeses on top immediately after uncovering the dish, such as goat cheese or gorgonzola.

I've gone Emile!!!

No, that is no short word for some kind of psychological disorder. I mean the Emile Henry Flame line.

For at least a year I have loved my smally Chinese Pot from EH Flame line, but wanted to try more. The base on the chinese pot is a bit narrow and angled and makes it less ideal when I need more surface, or when I have larger volumes. But this little guy beat my Le Creuset wannabe (Lodge) in direct comparisons, heats up evenly and cleans like a dream, it can take metal utensils, and not only can it go in a 500 oven, but also in the grill, microwave, dishwasher, freezer and fridge.  And if that weren't enough, it can go straight from the freezer to the oven. And if that weren't enough!!! The glaze looks the same as the day I bought it! Which, compared to my Lodge, is saying A LOT.

So Heck, Yeah. I am going Emile, all the way. These are cookware that put a smile on my face and make me want to try new recipes. And they look beautiful and rustic at the same time; putting one on your table feels like serving a homemade french meal to friends on a cold winter night. Sadly, because I am on a graduate student salary and am not affiliated with Emile Henry, it may be a long way to a full conversion. Oh well.

To begin this lovely journey, I got myself a Tarte Tatin set from the Flame line. "Tarte Tatin set?", you say; "isn't that a bit specialized?"
 
No, boys and girls, it's as general and versatile as you can get! How so? Well, the Tatin set is basically a Flame skillet with a short handle, PLUS a fabulous EH bakeware dish! As the EH website says itself, you can use the pan for anything you would use a skillet for, PLUS make fabulous, 1-step Tarte Tatin!

I seasoned it according to EH directions, and to test it out I cooked an Egg. Not only was it the first time I managed to cook an egg with a true overeasy center (that I can remember), the Egg tasted perfect!  I have since made a Caramelized Onion and Portobella Tatin in it, as well as hash browns and other goodies.

Now, given the performance of these pots, and their lovely look, not to mention they truly are 30% lighter than cast iron, why isn't everyone casting off enameled cast iron for these beauties? I tell you what: I am.