Recipe Conest Winners!
Congratulations to Joseph Runfola and his Dilled Blanquette de Veau, and Laurie Ellen Fandry and her Soufflé aux fraises. Add your own salad and you have the perfect holiday meal with these recipes!
We can’t wait to try these recipes – and want to share them with you so you can try it too!
Charlotte chose the Lattice Letter and Recipe Card Holder for Joseph and the Elsie Tea Set for Laurie Ellen. They both will also be receiving a signed copy of A Flair for Living. With so much happening during the holiday season, we hope both Joseph and Laurie Ellen take a few moments to indulge with these gifts!
Thank you all for your amazing recipes…we love hearing how you entertain. Everyone who entered the contest will be receiving our signature quote cocktail napkins.
Stay tuned for our next contest…
Dilled Blanquette de Veau from Joseph Runfola
Traditional creamy French stew freshened with carrots and dill. It is truly sensational!
12 teaspoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
3 pounds boneless veal, cut into 1 inch cubes
8 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flower
1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 cups diagonally sliced peeled carrots (slices 1/8 inch thick)
3 cups coarsely chopped onions
5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
3 to 4 cups of chicken stock
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter in a flameproof casserole of dutch oven. Add the veal and cook over medium–low heat, turning frequently, until opaque but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir 3 tablespoons of the flour together with the nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the veal. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring, for 5 minutes. The flour and veal should not brown.
- Add the carrots, onions, and 3 tablespoons of the dill, and enough stock just to cover the meat and vegetables. Raise the heat to medium and bring just to a boil. Then cover the casserole, transfer it to the oven, and bake for 1 ½ hours.
- Remove the casserole from the oven, and pour the stew through a strainer placed over a bowl. Reserve the solids and liquids separately.
- Return the casserole to medium heat, and melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in it. Sprinkle in the remaining 5 tablespoons of flour, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the reserved cooking liquid slowly into the butter and flour mixture, and bring to simmer. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the cream, remaining 2 tablespoons dill, and additional salt and pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Return the veal and vegetables to the casserole and simmer to heat through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a deep serving dish and serve at once along with rice or mashed potatoes.
Soufflé aux fraises from Laurie Ellen Fandry
L.E. writes: “My family has always had strawberry soufflé for dessert Christmas Eve. My mother, Mrs. L. E. Beeson, would use strawberries from her garden. She would pick them in late June and freeze them in a container marked, “Christmas Eve – No Nibbling”.”
Baking Time 40 minutes
Preheat Oven 425 F.
Butter and sugar inside of soufflé dish – use buttered paper to extend the top of the dish
Puree 1 quart of frozen strawberries (drained – retain juice) – Note from my mother, “do not use the horrible fresh strawberries loitering in the markets around Christmas, better lovely, frozen from your garden”.
4 egg whites ( room temperature)
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1 tbsp. corn starch
- Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, add the cream of tartar and salt after first 1/2 minute or so.
- Stirring constantly bring sugar and water to a boil, once there cover and boil for 1 minute – soft ball 238 F
- Beat eggs (medium) while slowly pouring in the sugar/water mixture, beat (high) until the mixture forms stiff peaks, finally – add cornstarch
- Time next steps to 45 minutes before serving:
- Add egg whites to bowl of puree and fold together – be careful!
- Pour into soufflé dish
- Reduce oven temperature to 375 F. and bake for 40 minutes
- Serve immediately with whipped cream lightly flavored with the reserved strawberry juice
