french onion soup

I had nothing to do with this. Last night, Berit knocked on my door and presented me with the greatest gift imaginable. A little ramekin of homemade French Onion Soup topped with a slice of baguette and bubbling Gruyère. Deep, dark, and decadently fragrant with layer upon delicious layer of flavor. I mean, are you kidding me? I burnt my tongue thanks to obvious impatience. Hands down the best version I've ever encountered. Seasoned to perfection (the girl adds salt with gumption) and unarguably the best thing to cozy up to on a night when temperatures drop to sickening record lows.

I'm heading South. Permanently.

Here's the recipe Berit used. I can't urge you enough to give it a shot. Believe me, your roommate will love you for it.

weekend dinner party

Just about three years ago, when I started my first job out of college, I just happened to find myself on the set of Tyler Florence's Food Network show, Tyler's Ultimate. For me, this was the ultimate. I had peaked. I had landed my dream job on the first go around. Where could I possibly go from here? My job entailed seeing, watching, and interacting with a guy with immense talent and undeniable passion for his craft on a daily basis. Oh, and getting to steal a bite or two of whatever he was whipping up for that day's show.

So on the first day of filming, it was Tyler's Ultimate Grilled Leg of Lamb. To put this into context, I had just won the damn lottery. Lamb? Lamb is my jam. And lamb cooked by Tyler Florence himself? Put a fork in me.

And then give me an actual fork, please.

A tiny plate of sliced, grilled leg of lamb atop a cushion of soft, lemony chickpea puree, and thoughtfully sprinkled with a raisin-caper salsa verde, and mache salad was handed to me. And when I put that bite into my mouth, I kid you not, I had an overwhelmingly emotional reaction. I must have let out a laugh. And then a look of straight up awe. And then looked around to see if anyone was watching me (read: judging me) have this celestial experience. It was above and beyond one of the most perfect bites I had ever encountered. Tyler, hats off, my man.

Of course I rushed home with the recipe and made it one Summer night for friends and family (I believe Arax recently mentioned to me that it's still one of the best things she thinks I've ever made) and the rave reviews kept coming. This recipe, for lack of a better word, is special. And I mean really, really special. The flavor profile is deeply complex yet approachable and it's one of the most impressive spreads I can think of. And with that, I hope you give it a try.

Jon Troutman from Cork'd is back with your wine pairings for this week's spectacular menu:

gres des vosges cheese, baguette, green grapes, olives
Alsatian Riesling: "As a soft, more mild cheese, you're not going to want to overpower this with a big, intense red wine. Instead, opt for something more nuanced and subtle. As they say, if it grows together, it goes together. This cheese is from the Alsace region of France; pick up an Alsatian Riesling and you'll have the perfect pairing."

grilled boneless leg of lamb with lemony chickpea puree and raisin-caper salsa verde

Southern Rhone Red: "I hate to sound like a broken record, but if it grows together, it goes together. A classic pairing for lamb is a red wine from the Southern Rhone region of France. The Southern Rhone has a bit of a Mediterranean climate influence from its location in the south of France, and it's not unusual for these wines to pick up rustic olive flavors. With the capers in the salsa verde, this dish has its own slight Mediterranean feel to it. Combine the two and your mouth is in for a serious treat!"

peach cobbler

Quarts de Chaume: "I love peaches. Outside of seersucker, there's nothing that screams Summer more than a fresh, juicy peach. This special moment deserves an equally special wine! Quarts de Chaume in France's Loire Valley is a minuscule region producing some of the best dessert wines you'll ever find from the Chenin Blanc grape. Find a friend to split a bottle though, as half bottles start around $30 and can climb higher. Believe me, they're worth every penny."

A Ridiculously Easy Peach Cobbler

Serves 6

1 stick salted butter, melted
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Heat oven to 375°.
Pour melted butter into a 2-quart baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to blend. Stir in the milk and vanilla until blended. Pour the batter over the melted butter.

Toss the peaches with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Arrange the peach slices over the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The top will be browned and the cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Serve warm with a little heavy cream, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

panko breadcrumbs

One of the comments I recently received (comment, comment, comment, please! I thrive off the stuff) was regarding a chicken parmesan recipe. And while chicken parm is not something I've ever made, nor typically crave, it got me to thinking. My brain started whirling about ways to produce the best possible result. And just like that, panko breadcrumbs immediately popped into my head. "Panko!" I excitedly exclaimed in my head. "I have to tell them about Panko!" Clearly, you don't want to be inside my head.

Or do you?

Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb that is sold at almost every grocery store these days. They're an extremely light and crispy product (whose appearance is somewhat reminiscent of crushed rice krispies) and yield unbelievably fantastic breading results when compared to the run-of-the-mill kind of breadcrumbs. I keep a tupperwear of them in the freezer (tip: keeps them from spoiling) for my one and only breaded treat: warm goat cheese salad, where I slip a piece of a goat cheese bouchon in egg white, then roll it around in panko, and into a hot pan until the cheese begins to ooze. Simple, indulgent pleasure.

But back to chicken parm. I would buy some fresh, thin chicken cutlets and set up a breading station: one dish with flour (salt and pepper too), an egg wash (2 eggs, splash of milk, salt, pepper), and one with panko and some fresh parmesan (chopped parsley would be a fab addition). Coat the chicken cutlet in a little of the flour mixture, then into the egg wash, and then into the panko mixture, making sure to fully coat the breast. Repeat this process with as many chicken cutlets as you're making.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add in a little olive oil. Gently saute the breaded cutlets until they're a deep golden brown color on both sides. Place them on a plate and into a low oven (200F or so) to keep warm.

Either use your favorite jarred stuff (I hear Mario Batali's new line of sauce is bellissima albeit pricey) or whip up some fresh tomato sauce (sauce pot on medium heat, add in olive oil, a few red pepper flakes, a can of crushed san marzano tomatoes, and as much or as little grated garlic as your heart desires. let it come to a gentle boil, toss in a dash of sugar, some salt, and tons of torn basil. reduce to low. taste for seasoning. done.)

Remove chicken from oven. Preheat the oven to 450F. Take a baking dish and ladle some of the sauce into the bottom and place chicken cutlets on top. Add a bit of sauce to the top of each as well and top, generously, with some slices of fresh mozzarella. Throw them into the oven until the cheese completely melts (keep an eye, it'll happen in less than 10 minutes). Serve with some al dente spaghetti or just with a side salad and have at it.

But of course, if you don't want to take my word for it (as I admittedly have never made this, but think I pulled the above off pretty well) I fully trust my boy, Tyler Florence. So take a look at his recipe and swap out the regular breadcrumbs for Panko. I think you'll be absolutely tickled with the results.

See what happens when you comment?!

Have the loveliest of lovely Wednesday's.