Cooking
This weekend I finally got to host my Friendsgiving dinner. Typically I do a turkey dinner but we were a smaller group this time, so I decided to splurge a little and do a beef wellington! Here are the recipes I followed:
Tyler Florence’s Beef Wellington: I’ve been following Tyler’s beef wellington recipe for the last 5+ years. I typically double the mushroom duxelles and cook it for 30-40 mins so it gets really dark and deep in flavour. I follow the rest of his steps for assembly.
Gordan Ramsay’s Red Wine Sauce: I love this reduced red wine sauce as an accompaniment. I try to get a pint of beef stock from my butcher so it has more flavour than the store-bought tetra packs.
Ottolenghi’s Aromatic Olive Oil Potato Mash: I loved this as an alt to the typically creamy mashed potatoes, especially with a heavy main like the beef wellington. The potatoes were still fluffy and smooth, but the olive oil and herbs lightened it up a bit.
Eden Grinshpan’s Roasted Squash with Honey and Sage: this is one of my fav fall sides, and easy to make ahead of time. I just reheat in the oven for 15 mins on 350F right before serving.
Ottolenghi’s Beets with Preserved Lemon and Yogurt: another one of my fav fall sides, super easy to prep ahead of time, and just top with the yogurt/tahini mixture and fresh dill before serving. I didn’t have preserved lemons so I just let some thin slices of lemon sit in a pinch of sugar and salt for 15 mins before finally dicing.
Other things I cooked:
Alison Roman’s Dip with Sizzled Scallions: This is always a go-to appetizer for me - it’s super simple, and everyone loves it. I do sour cream as my base as I find it easier to find than labneh.
Smitten Kitchen’s Cider Glazed Bacon Wrapped Dates: these were a tasty little bite! I baked them ahead of time and just reheated them right before my guests arrived. I think I like bacon-wrapped water chestnuts more for the crunch but these were still delish.
Bobbette and Belle’s Pumpkin Pie: this is my fav pumpkin pie - it’s more like a tart because it uses a sweet pastry dough, and the filling is thinner. It’s perfectly spiced and sweet. The recipe has never been online before so this is very exciting! Save that link!
Nanny’s Apple Crisp: I will be adding this to the blog soon!
Smitten Kitchen’s Apple and Cheddar Crisp Kale Salad: I made this earlier last week at a friend’s house and YUM. So delicious and fun for fall! Definitely going to be added to my go-to list for hosting.
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Orzo: this is a classic from the archives of my site, always a great weeknight meal.
Eating
Seoulshakers in Toronto, near Landsdowne station on Bloor. They are a Korean fusion snack bar and their chicken wings and wedge salad were the best I’ve ever had. Everything we ate was amazing!
Following
@justine_snacks - I saved her smoked paprika popcorn with maple walnuts to make as a snack this weekend.
Listening
Midnights (3am Edition), obviously.
Using
My cake tester! Best tool for checking that potatoes are tender, squash is roasted etc. I use it more for savoury cooking than baking.
Thinking
About how fast time is flying, how is it almost November?!
Laughing
Have a great week,
Kaleigh