Thyme | 20something cupcakes

Archives For thyme

{goat} cheesecake + thyme-infused cherries.

August 31, 2012 — 4 Comments

I’m pretty sure goat cheese cheesecake is one of the seventh wonders of the world that I’m just a littttle upset to be just discovering.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Thyme-Infused Cherries

I mean, where have I been? It’s been a long 27 years without goat cheese cheesecake.

Cheesecake should probably be my favorite dessert, right? Considering that cheese is my numero uno food group. I do love a good cheesecake, now that I think about it. Sometimes I get a craving and send Daniel down the street for this ridiculous “30th Anniversary” crazy-town chocolate number from The Cheesecake Factory. It’s so rich and indulgent and just totally NUTS. Have you ever had this sucker?

It might happen only once a year for me, for said reason – it’s so over-the-top sweet and indulgent that I have it once and I’m good for, um… a year. Such is not the case with this very distant relative of that cheesecake.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Sweets + Treats cheesecake, cherries, cream cheese, goat cheese, summer recipes, thyme

goat cheese mac with caramelized shallots.

June 7, 2012 — 8 Comments

Is it annoying for me to say that I’m pretty sure this is the best mac and cheese ever?

Goat Cheese Mac + Cheese with Caramelized Shallots

I can’t decide. But I’m thinking yes.

I’m now imagining every mac and cheese I’ve ever had, and I want to revise that statement to the best mac and cheese that I’ve ever made.

See, mac and cheese is probably my favorite dish EVER, like in the world … so I’ve had my fair share of it. And the thing about mac and cheese, for me, is that I love it every time. No matter which way it’s made – truffle this, lobster that, three-cheese, four-cheese, any cheese … I’m in.

We should discuss the fact that even though this is my favorite food, I’ve shown it virtually no love here on this blog. You need to know that I’m aware of this, and I do realize the asininity of the situation.

{Yes, that is a word. I just looked it up to be sure … I wouldn’t say it out loud, though – because it definitely doesn’t sound real}

It’s asinine! It is. There’s just no other word to describe it. And I blame Ina.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Obsessed caramelized onions, goat cheese, mac and cheese, macaroni, parmigiano-reggiano, pasta, shallots, thyme

how-to: thomas keller’s fried chicken.

May 31, 2012 — 20 Comments

Before this fried chicken, I’d made one recipe out of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc cookbook.

Thomas Keller's Fried Chicken

It was his chicken pot pie recipe, funny enough. You may recall that pot pie is Daniel’s favorite, so of course I had to try it. There were things involved like boiling carrots, celery, and potatoes in separate pots with exactly 8 peppercorns in each … things I would never ordinarily do – but I did, because Thomas Keller said so.

It sounds fussy, and it probably is, but that’s not what Thomas Keller’s all about. What he is about is precise cooking methods in an effort to bring every ingredient to its very best possible potential. And while I can’t say that that chicken pot pie was the best I’ve ever made – my heart still belongs to Ina on that one – I am proud to say that this is the best fried chicken I’ve ever made.

It’s also the only fried chicken I’ve ever made.

But, allow me to say this: I can’t imagine ever making fried chicken another way. How ’bout that statement … bold enough for you?

In other news, this chicken made me do a happy dance. And … it’s on video. You can now officially watch me do a happy dance in my kitchen – it’s only fair, it does happen often enough that you fully deserve to see it – and I can now officially be embarrassed.

I kid. Lord knows it’s gonna take more than that to ruffle these feathers!

In Main Dishes, Sassy in the Kitchen bay leaves, chicken, fried, lemon, thomas keller, thyme

asparagus-white bean soup + pancetta croutons.

April 30, 2012 — 10 Comments

Here we go again with the white beans.

Asparagus + White Bean Soup with Pancetta Croutons

Every time I’m making something and the white beans come out, Dan’s like, “Really? White beans again? What is it with you and these things?”

It’s a good thing that everything I’ve made with them has been delicious. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have much of an argument for my continued obsession.

White beans are a perfectly magical ingredient, indeed: They add bulk, protein, and fiber to any meal – especially great for all of my vegetarian friends (you are out there, right?). And for those of us like Daniel and I, who like to go meatless a few times a week. You can easily make this soup totally meatless by omitting the pancetta, but I happen to know there are a few of you (at least one) that eat a mostly vegetarian diet with a speckle of bacon here and there.

These pancetta croutons are seriously insane. Cooking the bread cubes in the pancetta and fresh thyme with the help of a little olive oil, since pancetta doesn’t have much fat to render out, results in the most incredible, salty little flavor-bombs that I think could and should be added to pretty much any soup that exists.

The soup itself is {nearly equally} incredible. Potatoes and, yes, white beans add bulk to the soup and when it’s pureéd, you’ll be tricked into thinking you’re eating a rich, cream-based soup. But guess what, pretties? There is NO cream in this soup, and you won’t miss it one bit. There are a lot of ingredients that add flavor to this soup, like shallots (my addition), garlic, fresh rosemary, white wine, and lemon (also my addition). And then there’s the asparagus, which is roasted before being added to the soup thus bringing out its best side. I saved my asparagus tips and added them as a garnish along with the croutons.

In Food Matters Project, Healthy Eats, Main Dishes asparagus, croutons, leeks, pancetta, rosemary, soups, spring recipes, thyme, white beans

baked brie dip with honey + thyme.

April 25, 2012 — 7 Comments

If it’s possible to improve upon a simple baked round of Brie, then I think I must’ve done it.

Cooking and serving it in a baking dish rather than leaving it whole is nothing groundbreaking. It’s so simple, in fact, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before. I love baked Brie, but sometimes it can get messy. And so I figured, why not stick the whole thing in a baking dish and see what happens?

Well, as you can imagine, love happens. Rich, creamy, sinfully cheesy LOVE.

In Fabulously Simple, Starters brie, cheese, easy appetizers, honey, less than 5 ingredients, thyme

rosemary-garlic roasted leg of lamb.

April 11, 2012 — 1 Comment

There’s something inherently fabulous about serving a roast when you’re entertaining.

It’s got a lot to do with the presentation. Plop that baby onto the center of a pretty platter, and surround it with potatoes that just so happen to cook beautifully (and conveniently) underneath the lamb, and you’re basically done with dinner. It’s really like a centerpiece – and I do believe it’s best served buffet-style, so that everyone can simply and easily serve themselves and marvel at your pretty centerpiece all at the same time.

If you’ve had rack of lamb, then maybe it will be hard to tear you away from those brilliantly tender and flavor-packed lollipops of meat – but I can assure you, a whole leg is definitely the way to go for a dinner party. Cheap? No. Cheaper, for a lot more meat? Yes.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes carrots, everything's better roasted, fingerling potatoes, lamb, meat roasts, rosemary, spring recipes, thyme

{tree-trimming} onion soup.

December 8, 2011 — 2 Comments

If you’re in need of something to get you into the holiday spirit, nothing gets the job done quite like tree trimming.

{Though I can imagine, if you’re not in the holiday spirit, you might not be looking to get into it}

I think tree trimming needs to happen the weekend after Thanksgiving, and here’s why: I want to get the most out of my tree, my decorations – my favorite time of the year. I totally get it if you’re exhausted after Thanksgiving and the last thing you want to think about is
Christmas decorations…you know, getting those life-sized boxes from the attic, lugging them down and…

In Main Dishes caramelized onions, celebrate, christmas recipes, comfort food, gruyère, soups, thyme

the amazing five-hour roast duck.

December 4, 2011 — Leave a comment

There are certain things you can cook at home that just make you feel like you know what you’re doing.

The good news is, thanks to this life-altering recipe, you don’t have to know what you’re doing.

Does cooking duck scare you? If it does, I don’t blame you. I’m fairly certain that I might have been apprehensive about cooking duck before I read this recipe. But you know it’s from my favorite book, one that I’ve never made anything remotely bad from, and one written by people that I now trust explicitly.

I have no time to waste on a bad recipe after all, you feel me?

So, this duck…this duck is foolproof. That’s all you need to know. Duck roasts for 5 hours – yes, 5 full hours – slowly, skin becomes so crispy it will just blow your mind, and meat ends fall-off-the-bone tender. I’ve never had duck like this before.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes 150 best american recipes, duck, everything's better roasted, rosemary, thyme, white beans

blackberry thyme margaritas.

September 18, 2010 — 4 Comments

Fresh herbs in cocktails: It’s kinda my new thing.

Okay, fine – I guess mojitos have had this down for a while. And though I *very much* love a good mojito, lately I’ve been discovering countless new favorite cocktails made with fresh herbs.

You’ve seen me use basil before here, but today we’re talking thyme. Thyme, and margaritas. These things make me happy.

Thyme is from the mint family, and to me, it has a very lightly earthy, almost lemony flavor and scent. It’s delicious with so many types of things – roast chicken being one of my personal favorites – and it seems to go perfectly in this margarita.

But wait – we haven’t even gotten to the blackberry part! Ah yes, the blackberries. Sure, you could puree them, strain the seeds out, get all fancy with it…but there’s really no need. I just threw a bunch of berries into my pitcher – along with the thyme – and muddled it all up against the glass with my wooden spoon. I think the flavor combination works brilliantly together, and the blackberries create a gorgeous purple hue. It’s rustic, thanks to the thyme – yet the bubby and high-quality tequila up the glam factor.

All in all, it’s a pretty sexy drink, if you ask me.

Blackberry-Thyme Margaritas

Adapted from Bon Appétit

1-2 cups fresh blackberries

Handful fresh thyme sprigs

1 1/2 cups good white tequila

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup Cointreau or other orange liquor

1 cup simple syrup

1 cup champagne or sparkling wine

Place blackberries and thyme sprigs {be sure to leave extra of both for garnish} in medium bowl. Press firmly on solids with muddler or back of wooden spoon until mashed. Mix in tequila, simple syrup, lime juice, Cointreau, and sparkling wine. Stir to blend well. Fill glasses with ice, and pour margarita mixture over. Garnish with a couple blackberries and thyme sprigs.

Makes about 8 drinks.

In Cocktails, Dinner Party Worthy blackberries, champagne, fresh herbs in cocktails, margarita, thyme

the salad bar: parmesan chicken + arugula.

May 25, 2010 — 7 Comments

I love arugula.

And I love to enjoy it paired with a super-easy lemon vinaigrette. There’s something so perfect about the peppery flavor of the greens combined with the tartness of the fresh lemon juice.

It’s perfect alone as a simple side or starter salad, but here I’ve used it as a base for {yet another} chicken salad. Only this time, I’ve baked the chicken in the oven rather than grilling it or a using a purchased Rotisserie from the deli. And let me just tell you – when I baked the chicken just as described in the below recipe, I ended up with the most perfectly cooked chicken breasts. Ever. So incredibly juicy – and the mustard/thyme/Parmesan coating gave such great flavor.

As far as the Parmesan shavings go, adding them just seemed like the right thing to do – but it’s totally optional. The original recipe called for halved cherry tomatoes, so you could also try that – it would be a great way to add some more color to your plate.

Parmesan Chicken + Arugula Salad

{Roughly} adapted from Food & Wine

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 package arugula leaves

Shavings of Parmesan cheese

For the lemon vinaigrette:

Juice from half a lemon

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 475°. In a small bowl, combine the mustard with the olive oil and thyme. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then brush them all over with the mustard mixture. Pat the grated Parmesan all over each breast. Transfer the chicken breasts to a rimmed baking sheet (I cover mine with foil for easy clean-up).

Bake the chicken on the top shelf of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until just cooked through and nicely browned.

For the dressing, just whisk the mustard and lemon juice together in a small bowl and add the olive oil in a slow stream as you’re mixing. That’s it – now you have your lemon vinaigrette! How easy is that? Pour it over the arugula and mix well. Season with salt and lots of freshly-ground pepper.

For the Parmesan shavings, just take a block of Parmesan (I buy a huge one at Costco because I like the good Parmigiano-Reggiano and it’s a little pricey), and create thin shavings along its side using a vegetable peeler. Place your chicken breasts and Parmesan shavings on top of your salad and enjoy.

Serves 2.