Sunday, March 26, 2017

Menu for a good friend

She usually works 20 hours a day. She says she goes to bed at 3 am and is up and at her office by 7:30. She has a family and I don't know how she does it.
For her birthday one of my gifts to her was to give her 4 nights of dinners. I modeled my dinners after some of the new meal delivery programs that many of us use.
Here is an example of one menu:
Filets with Balsamic Glaze
Baked spaghetti
Minted fruit

Twice baked potatoes
Tawook chicken
Persian avocado salad

Stuffed pasta shells
Caesar
Homemade applesauce

Cilantro Lime Chicken
Rice
Zucchini Tomato Bake

Here is the recipe for the zucchini Tomato Bake:
Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium yellow squash, sliced
5 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup quality parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian spices
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a baking dish, arrange zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes in an alternating pattern (as seen in the photos).
3. Top with cheese and spices. Place into oven and bake for 20 minutes or until squash is soft.



Pfister White House Sandwich

I found this recipe, from Chef Maurice at the Pfister. My mother wrote down, and added it to her recipe file box, that she eventually gave to me.
It's very similar to the old Gimbels recipe except for one ingredient and a few other techniques. The sauce, in my mother's recipe, in addition to cream, calls for chicken stock. The Gimbels recipe calls for heavy cream.

Pfister White House Sandwich

4 slices bread
16 oz sliced turkey
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms, sautéed but not browned
Mornay Sauce:
1/4 c chopped onions
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups cold milk
2 cups chicken stock
salt and white pepper to taste
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese

Directions for making the sauce:
In a large saucepan, sauce onions in butter but do not brown.
Add flour and sit well over low heat. Do not let it brown.
Add cold milk and mix till smoother. Add brother and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then simmer 10 minutes. Add salt and white pepper to taste.
To make the sandwich:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 1 slice of toast in each of 4 buttered individual casseroles and cover with about 1/4 cup of sauce. Divide turkey and mushrooms among the four sandwiches. Top with more sauce and sprinkle with cheese and bake 8-10 minutes or till light brown. Serves 4.