Sophisticated Dinner for the Holidays

Menu:

Balsamic steaks with Gorgonzola-tomato topping (serves 2)
Potato Chips
Sorbet and ice cream with fruit sauce

Wine: ExLibris Cabernet 2005 Washington State


Marinade Topping for 2 filet mignon steaks

2 T. balsamic vinegar 1 8 oz. ripe tomato cut into 1/2 inch cubes (1 inch thick, about 6 oz.)
2 T. chopped shallots 2 oz. Gorgonzola cheese crumbled
1 T. olive oil 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, crushed salt and freshly ground pepper
fresh ground pepper

Directions
- Prepare grill or broiler
- In small bowl wisk all marinade ingredients. In a baking dish place steaks and coat evenly with
marinade and set aside.
-In a another small bowl combine topping ingredients and stir gently
-Grill or broil steaks 4-6 minutes per side for medium rare and sprinkle with salt after searing
-Spoon topping over each steak

Pan-Fried Potato Chips

In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add an 8 oz. all purpose potato cut
into 1/4 inch slices, and cook until golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme

Blueberry-orange sauce for ice cream or sorbet

In a small saucepan combine 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, 2 tbsp. orange juice, 2 tsp. orange liqueur, 2 tsp. sugar and 1 tsp.grated orange zest and cook over medium heat until blueberries are soft. Scoop sorbet and or ice cream together into individual bowls. Pour fruit sauce over and enjoy!

A Quick, Elegant and Easy Dinner

Roasted Chicken Breast on Pastry Puff (serves 3)



Ingredients:

3 Roasted Chicken Breast
1 ''Pepperidge Farm'' Puff Pastry Sheet thawed and cut into 3 squares
3 Tablespoons "Pistou" spread from "Barefoot In Paris" by Ina Garten
(proportions modified to make 1/2 cup) :
2 Large garlic cloves
1/4 Cup tomato paste
6 Basil leaves
1/4 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup good olive oil

Directions:
1) Place 3 pastry squares on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden
2) Spread 1 tablespoon Pistou on each square
3) Place warm chicken breast on top of pastry square

Serve with asparagus broiled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Short Ribs - GingerSnaps Style (serves 6)

This is my version for Short Ribs; my husband said "These are the best Short Ribs I have ever eaten. You combined the right amount of flavors with tenderness to make a very tasty meal."

Ingredients:

..... 2 tbsp. olive oil

..... 2 tsp. salt

..... 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

..... 3 lbs. beef short ribs cut into 3 " pieces

..... 3 cups yellow onion thinly sliced

..... 1 1/2 cups baby carrots

..... 1 cup beef broth

..... 1 cup tomato sauce ( I use my homemade)

Set a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Salt and pepper ribs, add to skillet and brown on all sides then remove from pan. Add carrots and onions to skillet and saute until soft.

--- Return ribs to pan, add wine, beef broth and tomato sauce then cover and cook 25-30
minutes or longer if needed

Serve with mashed potatoes and a fresh, mixed green salad.

Wine: I recommend Castle Rock 2006 Sonoma County Pinot Noir

Dessert: Finish the meal with a wonderful Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse from the
Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook.

Welcome to My Blog!

Welcome to Ginger Snaps! This is my first day as a blogger, and this is my first post, so here goes:

After a long career in the retail fashion industry, I have moved on to my real passions - food, wine, music, movies, travel, and animals. I hope that my articles will be of interest to you.

I look forward to sharing my experiences, and I welcome your comments!