I found out you can make a killer sugar free “brown sugar” with Splenda and sugar free maple syrup. It’s really tasty!! Take a cup of splenda and a 1/4 cup of the sugar free maple syrup and blend.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Everyone seemed to enjoy immensely.  My boss, who is British, took the leftover trifle home.  That’s pretty high praise I would say. So we’re all cleaned up, leftovers put away, and puggies in the lap.  I have to say, I’m pretty happy with the job I did. 

Thanksgiving has always been a food holiday for me.  My mom loved to cook.  She would make this monster turkey and have all the trimmings. There were only four of us in the family, but family and friends always came by.  People loved her cooking at the holidays.  Can you tell I miss that?

I decided this year was the year to try to make my own holiday memories.  I decided to do a romantic meal for Thanksgiving for me and Paul.  All glutenfree, all really tasty.

The menu for tonight was supposed to be this:

Appetiser
Frisee Salad with Warn Bacon Vinaigrette (never got to it sadly, but it is wonderful)
Wine - Pinot Grigio
Main
Roast Duck
Port Wine Demi-glace
Herb roasted potatoes
Apple-Cranberry stuffing (done with cauliflower and sausage)
Homemade bread (glutenfree)
Roasted veggies (didn’t do)
Wine - Zinfendel
Dessert
Apple tart with homemade caramel sauce (glutenfree crust)
Wine - Muscadet

I can’t believe how good it was. I was really happy with it.  It’s been a long time since I’ve had a “normal” meal.  It was fantastic.  Especially the bread and the tart.  They were as good as the gluten counterparts. The tart, even better.  I need to play with the crust a bit more to get a rollable crust (i patted the crust into shape), but man… YUMMY!!!  The homemade caramel was made with dairyfree milk, so it made a nice creamy sauce.  That was as good as anything I could get out of a jar.

That is all

Amuse Bouche: Frisee with crab.  Frisee and celery leaves mixed with olive oil and salt topped with crab meat.
Appetiser:  Prosciutto rolls with Aurgula and Figs.  Dried figs, goat cheese and arugula with marinade rolled in prosciutto. How can this be a bad thing?
Main Course:  Herb crusted Lamb with sauted baby veggies.  I also did a Mushroom Gravy, made from a homemade veal stock.
Salad:  Frisee salad with Warm Bacon Viniagrette
Dessert:  Cava gelatin with raspberries and semi-sweet chocolate chips

It was an ambitious menu, but I pulled it off and if I may, pulled it off well. :D Go me!!  Some days I think I could do this for real.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Combine cucumbers and juice; toss to coat. Add cucumber mixture, salt, and pepper to strawberry mixture; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2 eggs
4 Tbsp butter, or 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil

Pound chicken breasts until they are 1/4 inch (5mm) thick and cut into 6 portions.  Set aside.

Combine cheese with oregano, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, pepper on a plate.  On another plate or in a shallow bowl, beat the eggs.  dip the chicken into the eggs, then into the cheese mixture, coating both sides evenly.

Melt butter or butter/oil mix in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat (any higher will burn the cheese) and saute for 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Cook’s note:
This is a higher fat dish due to the cheese.  the one cup is 457 calories, with 257 calories from fat, or 28.6 grams of fat. But bear in mind that this is used over 6 pieces of chicken, so per piece it’d be about 76 calories or about 42 from fat, or about 4.8 grams of fat, at most.  You can do this with cooking spray or minimal oil to lower the calorie/fat counts even more.  The eggs can be replaced with egg replacer for an egg-less version, and if tolerated, you can try a dairyfree version using soy parmesan cheese.  That will also substantially lower fat and calories.

Bring water to boil over high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the lemon grass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, fish sauce and tamarind paste (break apart the tamarind paste with your fingers as you add it). Add the shrimp, bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Add the onion, nam prik pao and straw mushrooms. Boil for another 7 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through. Add the chile peppers and tomatoes. Turn off the heat. Add the lime juice. Taste to adjust the seasoning, adding fish sauce to taste. Garnish with cilatantro if desired and serve. Serves 3 to 4.

Thinly cut chicken into 2-inch strips. (If doing veggie version, cut vegetables into thin strips.) Grind together red chili peppers, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves in a food processor or pound in a mortar. Heat oil to medium-high and saute pepper mixture for 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken (or vegetables) and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked (same time for veggies). Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in fish sauce (if using), salt, and basil. Serve on a bed of chopped cabbage.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Note: For mixed vegetables, choose from among bell peppers, string beans, water chestnuts, tomatoes (small cherry tomatoes are best), bamboo shoots, miniature corn, asparagus, cucumbers, zucchini, Japanese eggplant, and mushrooms. I particularly like string beans or asparagus, a few cherry tomatoes, shredded (rather than sliced) bamboo shoots, miniature corn, and some straw mushrooms or slender (Japanese) eggplant.

8 lg veal shanks, patted dry
salt, pepper to taste
1/2 cup gluten-free flour
7 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup carrots, finely chopped
3/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
4 cup gluten-free beef broth
1 1/2 cup plum tomatoes, chopped
1 bouquet garni (bouquet of fresh herbs tied together and chucked in the dish.  See below for quantities)
6 sprigs parsley
4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1 gremolata (Minced parsley, lemon peel and garlic. See below for quantities)
1/2 cup fresh parlsey, minced
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp garlic, minced

Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. In a heavy skillet, heat 3 Tbsp butter and 3 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat.  Brown the veal shanks, adding additional butter and oil if necessary. Transfer the shanks as they are browned to a platter.

Add wine to the skillet, boil the mixture, deglazing the pan, until the liquid is reduced to about a half cup. Reserve in a small bowl.

In a flameproof casserole just large enough to hold the veal shanks in one layer, cook the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the remaining 4 Tbsp butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened. Add the shanks and any accumulated juices to the casserole. Add the wine mixture, and enough broth to almost cover the shanks. Spread the tomatoes over the shanks, add the bouquet garni and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to
a simmer over moderately high heat. Braise the mixture, covered, in the middle of a preheated 325f oven for 2 hours, or until the veal is tender. Transfer the veal to an ovenproof serving dish with a slotted spoon. Discard the strings and keep the shanks warm.

Strain pan juices into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids. Skim off the fat. Boil for about 15 minutes or until reduced to about 3 cups.

Baste the shanks in some of the reduced juices, and bake them, basting 3-4 more times, for 10 minutes or until the shanks are glazed. In a bowl, stir together the parsley, zest, and garlic. Sprinkle the shanks with the gremolata and pour some juice around and over them. Serve the remaining juices alongside in a boat.