Brats and kraut leftovers salad

Boy, am I on a roll today, or what?

After receiving a lo-hot of cabbage in my farm share over the summer, I decided a few months ago to make my own sauerkraut. I won't be posting the recipe here, because I did not document the process with pictures and I basically just followed a random recipe found on the internet.

A couple nights ago, I decided to use the kraut in a basic beer-brats and kraut recipe. Long story short, I found myself stuck with leftovers and did not feel like eating full-on sauerkraut and sausages yet again today, so I came up with this salad on the fly.

INGREDIENTS (for 2)


- 1 romaine heart salad
- 1 small red apple
- 1 cold leftover grilled bratwurst
- about 1/2 cup leftover kraut
- shaved gruyere cheese
- white balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

RECIPE

- with a stick blender, puree the kraut with the salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil: that will be your dressing for the salad.

note: I used white balsamic because I had this at home already. I think it might be better with apple cider vinegar, since it will pair well with the fresh apple.


- dice the cold brat and the apple in small cubes.
- cut the salad in bite size chunks.
- toss everything together, add the dressing and top with shaved cheese.

Bon appetit!

A busy weekend

Hey everyone!

I've been MIA for a while now... Here's a quick photo update of my weekend, culinary-wise :)

Roasted Bell Peppers Soup

Roast 6-7 bell peppers (I used all colors: green, yellow and red) directly on the flame until they charr. Then put them immediately in a plastic bag (ziplock works wonders) and close tightly. Let them sit for a while, and the skin will come right off when you peel them.

Peel the peppers and chop them up in small strips. Chop up an onion and a clove of garlic. Pell and cube two small potatoes.

In a deep pot, melt some butter and fry the onion and garlic until transparent and tender. Then add the peppers, a sprig of thyme (I used fresh, but dried works fine too), the potatoes and 4 cups of chicken stock.

Simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Puree with a stick blender, and serve piping hot with a splash of thick cream and sprinkled with fresh thyme leaves. Enjoy!

Tarte Tatin

Peel and quarter 5-7 apples (use sweet apples, not sour like the Granny Smith). Scrub the quarters with lemon juice so that they do not oxidize. arrange them in the bottom of a cake from (make them in a pretty pattern, as you will see that pattern when you turn the pie upside down for serving).

In a frying pan, melt 2 1/2 oz unsalted butter and 3/4 cup of caster sugar. cook until it forms a golden brown caramel, and pour over the apple quarters in the cake form. The caramel will set really fast on the cold apples and become crunchy. No problem! When the apples bake, they will release some moisture and the caramel will melt and cook with the apples. Lay down a sheet of pastry (whichever kind you like) over the apples and bake for 35-40 minutes in a pre-warmed oven at 365F). Bon appetit!

Chicken Pot Pie

Roast 4 seasoned (salt, pepper olive oil) boneless thighs of chicken in a 350F oven for about 40 minutes.

Put the thighs aside and deglaze the juices from the dish with 2 cups of chicken stock. Reserve the liquid.

Slice and cook a handful of button mushrooms in a little butter until golden brown. Put aside.

In a deep pot, melt about a half a stick of unsalted butter (~ 5tsp) and mix in 1/3 cup of flour. Cook the flour gently (the mixture will bubble up and fluff), then add the chickn stock and immediately stir until it thickens and add the chopped up chicken, 3 carrots (sliced), the mushrooms and about a cup and a half of frozen peas. Transfer into an oven safe dish and cover with puff pastry. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is fluffy and golden brown. Enjoy!