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Hearty French Onion Soup

Herb crusted Roast chicken

Buttermilk and roast Garlic Mashed potatoes

Roast carrots with fresh tarragon

 

 

Hearty French Onion Soup

2 # or 2 Large Spanish Onions julienned

4 T. butter

8 cups of water

2T of beef base

1 cup of dry sherry

One Loaf of French bread

1 c. Shredded Gruyere cheese

 

1. Put 8 cups of water in a large stockpot on medium heat.
2. In another large stockpot, melt butter.
3. Add julienned onions to melted butter.
4. Stir onions frequently and cook until translucent and well cooked.
5. Add beef base to water and mix well, pour over onions, scrape the bottom of the pot to get any bits of the browned onion off the bottom, and bring to a simmer.
6. Add sherry to the soup; continue to simmer and allow to reduce for 30 minutes.
7.  While the soup is simmering, slice french bread into ¼” slices and brush lightly with olive oil, place on a       baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Top with shredded gruyere cheese, and broil on low for 3-4 minutes or until melted and remove from oven.
8. Place one slice of bread with melted cheese inside a soup bowl and ladle one cup of soup over the bread and serve.

Makes 10 servings

(222 Calories per serving; 8.9g fat; 21.7g carbohydrate; 7.3 g of protein)

 

 

My Favorite Herb-crusted Roast Chicken

 4 # Roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Oregano

Garlic powder

Fresh ground black pepper

¼ c Olive oil

Small roasting plaque

Preheat oven to 400 degrees or 375 if using a convection oven.

 

1. Rinse chicken inside the cavity and outside; remove any giblet.
2. Pat dry with clean paper towels and place in roasting plaque.
3. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and coat well.
4. Generously apply kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, oregano, and garlic powder over the entire chicken, to form a nice crust.
5. Place chicken uncovered in the oven and use a thermometer to check for doneness.  Remove when internal temperature reaches 160 degrees and cover tightly with aluminum foil, and rest for 15-20 minutes. Serve.

 (187 Calories for 4 ounces chicken breast; 3 g fat; 0 g carbohydrate; 28 g protein)

 

 

Roasted Garlic and Buttermilk Mashed potatoes

3 # Yukon Gold Potatoes

4 cloves of garlic

1 c. of buttermilk

Salt and pepper to taste

2 quarts of water

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

 

1. Place unpeeled garlic in a terra cotta garlic baker or onto a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and put the lid on the baker or close foil tightly around garlic, so the garlic is wrapped tightly.  Bake for 30-45 minutes.  Set aside.  
2. Wash peel and chop potatoes into 1” cubes, rinse with cold water, and add to a 3-quart saucepan, cover with 2 quarts of cold water.
3. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and then simmer gently until potatoes are fork-tender.
4. Remove from heat and carefully drain potatoes. 
5. Remove garlic from the baker or foil and gently squeeze the garlic out of the peel into the potato mixture. 
6. Begin to mash the potatoes and garlic together, adding buttermilk in batches with a hand masher until the desired consistency.  
7. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Makes 8 servings

(171 calories; 1 g fat, 35 g  carbohydrates, 6 g protein) 

 

Roast Carrots

1 ½  #  Carrots

1 T. olive oil

½ tsp kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Tarragon (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, convection if possible to promote browning.

1.       Wash and peel carrots.  Cut into uniform pieces; I like strips of ¼’ by ¼ “ by 3” long.
2.       Rinse prepared carrots and pat dry with paper towels.
3.       In a large bowl, toss carrots, olive oil, salt, and pepper until well coated. 
4.       Arrange on a baking sheet, ensuring that they do not overlap.
5.       Roast in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes; carrots should be evenly browned and tender when pierced.
6.       Optional: Sprinkle with fresh tarragon and serve immediately.

 

Makes 6 servings

(41 calories; 1.9 g fat; 6g carbohydrate; .6 g protein)