Symon Sunday: Corn Crepes with BBQ Pork

For the first recipe in our second round of Sundays with Symon, Ashlee chose the Corn Crepes with Barbecue Duck Confit.

In my newly knocked-up state that seems to include a strong aversion to most meats, there was no way I was about to try to make duck. And I have no coffee in the house right now either, so I was unable to make the coffee bbq sauce that Chef Symon uses with the duck confit. So, here is what I swapped up in the recipe.

Instead of duck, I used a pork tenderloin, put it in the crock pot, and dumped in a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce. Normally I add a bag of cheddar cheese to the mix, but did not this time. I usually prep my bbq pork this way, but was missing the Lipton Soup Mix.
Crepes are a pain in the ass. I was getting frustrated and ridiculously pissed and kept tearing them. And I think they were too thick. Whatever.

The husbo said they were yummy and an interesting way to eat bbq pork. I, unfortunately, could not try any because of the newly acquired nausea and aversion to most meat. He really seemed to enjoy it!

For the full recipes, visit Natasha's or Joanne's blog and their take on the recipe!

In two weeks, we will be making Chef Symon's Mac and Cheese with Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Rosemary. I had this at Bar Symon and it is delicious; unfortunately, I will not be able to eat any because GOAT CHEESE is on the FORBIDDEN TO EAT WHILST PREGNANT list. AUGH!

Symon "Sundays": The Lola Burger with "Fried" Brussels Sprouts

Last week's edition of Sundays with Symon, hosted by Ashlee at A Year in the Kitchen, was my choice! Unfortunately, I was feeling under the weather on Sunday and was swamped the rest of the week so I was unable to make them. BUT, never fear, here I am with my recipes! I have had the pleasure of eating at Bar Symon and ordered the Lola Burger, so when I had to choose my recipes, that was my front runner!

My good friend is a huge fan of Lolita, one of Michael Symon's other restaurants, and RAVED about the other recipe I choose, Fried Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Capers. Instead of frying them, taking the suggestion from Joanne at Eats Well With Others, I baked my sprouts. Too much fried foods makes an unhappy tummy.

Brussels Sprouts with (Pecans) and Capers
Serves 4, adapted from Live To Cook

NOTE - I didn't actually fry the brussels sprouts. I just couldn't. Instead, I baked them. I also used pecans instead of walnuts because I still have half of a huge bag of pecans that I bought from BJ's. And no bags of walnuts. And because I am trying to be somewhat frugal. I also cut out a lot of the olive oil.

Baked Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Capers
as seen on Eats Well with Others, adapted from Live to Cook

Ingredients
1 clove garlic, minced
4 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed, filleted and minced (I omitted)
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 C olive oil (you could use HALF this and would be fine)
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
2 cups loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and patted dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
-Heat the oven to 400. Put the brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, spray with oil, sprinkle with salt and bake for 40 minutes.
-Whisk together the garlic, anchovies, serrano, red wine vinegar, honey, scallions, walnuts and extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl large enough to toss all of the Brussels sprouts.
-When the sprouts are done, mix them with the above ingredients, capers and parsley. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.


The LOLA Burger
Makes 4, adapted from Live to Cook
*The star of the burger is not the burger itself; it is supposed to be the pickled red onions and spicy ketchup. Unfortunately, I did not have time to make either one. I am hoping to make these again and do a follow-up blog post with the recipes.

Ingredients
8 slices bacon
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 90/10)
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
4 thin slices cheddar cheese
4 English muffins, split
4 large eggs
1 dill pickle, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pickled red onion

Directions:
-Build a medium-hot fire in your grill or preheat a stovetop grill pan.
-Cook the bacon in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, turning once until crisp, 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.
-Form the ground beef into 4 patties, each about 3 ½ inches in diameter. Season the patties with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Place the burgers on the grill or in the grill pan and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and top each burger with a slice of cheese. Grill for 3 minutes for medium rare. Remove to a plate.
-Add the English muffins to the grill or grill pan and toast for 1 minute. (I totally forgot to do this)
-Cook the eggs sunny-side up in the bacon fat while the burger rests (I drained half the fat. Sue me. I just can't handle that much grease).
-Build the burgers by sandwiching them between the muffin halves along with pickle slices, red onion, bacon, and egg.

Symon Sundays: Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup & Shaved Fennel Salad with Oranges, Dill and Watercress

How is THAT for a title?

After missing our last Symon Sunday, I was all geared up for this week's menu, chosen by Tanya from The Brick Kitchen! I LOVE tomato soup and have never had fennel, so was excited to try these new flavors!

And clearly our grocery store sucks, because I could not find San Marzano tomatoes or sriracha sauce. And I had to settle for a different blue cheese, but it made no difference to me because I am not a huge fan of it. Instead of the tomatoes in the recipe, I used fire-roasted tomatoes to add another layer of flavor, especially since I was unable to find the sriracha sauce. I did not blend the tomatoes or strain them; I just used my immersion blender right in the pan which saved me a few steps. The verdict on the soup? C and I both really enjoyed it! I definitely think it needed more spice, so hopefully I can find the sriracha sauce because I will be willing to make this soup again.

As for the salad, I was leery because neither I nor my husband like black licorice and I was afraid it was going to be overpowering. Fortunately, the taste of the fennel was very mild and was offset by the delicious citrus. I really enjoyed the freshness of the flavor and if I was looking to impress, I would serve this at a dinner party, but not on a regular basis. I also would try it with arugula next time instead of the watercress.

Here are the original recipes from Michael Symon's book. My changes are in parenthesis.

Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
from Live to Cook, Michael Symon

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
kosher salt4 garlic cloves, sliced1 (28 oz.) can of Marzano tomatoes, with juice (I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream (I was going to use FF half and half, but decided that for the first time with a recipe to leave it as such)
2 tbsp sriracha sauce (I omitted because I couldn't find it)
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves (I used dill)
1/2 cup Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue Cheese
Heat the oil in a 4 qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add

onion and a three finger pinch of salt. Sweat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sweat for 2 more minutes.

Add tomatoes, their juices and stock. Bring to a simmer. Stir in cream, sriracha sauce and oregano and simmer for 45 minutes.

Pour soup into blender, add blue cheese and

blend until smooth, working in batches if needed. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot, taste, adjust seasonings if needed and reheat to serve. (I did not strain the soup and just used my immersion blender right in the pot).

This soup will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for a few days.

Shaved Fennel Salad with Oranges, Lemon, Dill and Watercress
adapted from Live to Cook, Michael Symon

3 oranges

1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained (I used 1/4 of a red onion)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 small or 1 large fennel bulb, core removed and shaved (I used the side of my box grater)

1 tbsp coarsley chopped fennel fronds

2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill

freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground corriander (I omitted since I did not have any)

2 tbsp extra-vigin olive oil
1 cup loosely packed watercress or arugula

Grate zest of the one of the oranges and reserve. Segment all three oranges, by removing peel and pith with a knife and slicing through fruit along either side of the membrane to remove only the fruit sections. Once segments are removed, squeeze remaining juice from one of the oranges and reserve.

In a large bowl, combine the garlic, shallot, salt, lemon and orange juices and zests. Wisk to combine. Add the shaved fennel, fennel fronds and dill, tossing juice. Add the orange segments, a few grinds of pepper, the corriander, olive oil, and watercress. Toss gently and plate, spooning additional dressing over top.

Why the correct type of endive is important

In an effort to expand my culinary horizons, I became a participant in Ashlee's Sundays with Symon challenge.  A small group has each chosen two recipes from Chef Michael Symon's new cookbook, Live to Cook.  I have a certain affection for Michael Symon, being that he is a Cleveland native and has a section in his book dedicated to the pierogi.  Any man who dedicates sections of a book to this beloved food is a winner to me.

Anyway, I missed the first week of Sundays with Symon because I was out of town and then basically forgot about it until Ashlee sent us a reminder email (it was that kind of a week).  Not wanting to bail again, I scurried around to locate the recipes.

This week's recipes: Salmon Poached in Court Bouillon and Braised Endive with Citrus.

We are not fish eaters.  Although I wish we were, because fish recipes often look so delicious on TV and in cookbooks and online that I really wish I liked fish.  So, I decided (with the help of a fellow Sunday for Symon-er) to try poaching chicken breasts instead of fish.  Sounds ok, right?  Right.

As I arrived at my local grocery store, I began scouring the produce section for endive.  And found it.  Unfortunately, it was the curly green kind, NOT the Belgian 

kind called for in the recipe (which Joanne posted on her blog, Eats Well With Others).  I figured, never having cooked with an endive before, what the heck?  An endive is an endive, right?  WRONG.  

I bought my ingredients and the first thing I did when I came home was Google "Belgian Endive."  Hmph.  I was preparing to head BACK to a differen

t store when C said, "What the heck, make it anyway."  So I decided to give it a whirl.

It looked like limp lettuce.  And, according to C, tasted atrocious.  He couldn't even swallow the bite he took.  And I don't blame him.

As for the chicken, it looked really  unappetizing.  The bonus of using salmon is the beautiful pink color, which is much more appealing when poaching than the white blob of a chicken breast.  C claimed the chicken tasted pretty good, and he said that although it looked unappetizing, he enjoyed the citrus flavor of the court bouillon and that it has a really nice aftertaste.  Even though the original recipe does not call for it, I think the chicken needs to be pan-seared or something before poaching it in the bouillon.  

So, there ya go.  My first Sunday with Symon recipe and a little lesson on why buying the correct type of ingredient (FREAKING ENDIVE) is so damn important.

February 28th's recipes include Veal Chop Milanese and Soft Polenta with Mascarpone. 

PS: Check out Natashya's presentation in Living in the Kitchen with Puppies.  If only mine looked as beautiful!