This week's cooking adventure involved dutch ovens!  That sought after, elusive cooking tool escaped me for most of the week.  I knew I would have to double the Beef Bourgingnon recipe and therefore needed 2 dutch ovens.  So after canvassing friends and family for one to borrow  with no success I began to research purchasing one.  Who knew the world of dutch ovens was so expansive (and expensive!).  In the end it came down to ovens made in China vs. ovens made in France with a $150 difference between the two and lots of warnings to avoid the hazzards of cheap, Chinese cookware.  But spending $200+ on a pot is a big decision!  And the least expensive prices were not available locally.  Any cookware ordered online would not arrive in time for the meal.  What to do???  Thank God for Outdoor Recreation on base (a kind of camping/outdoor rental store/trip place).  I was able to rent deux camping dutch ovens for a little over $10.  Perfect!  Only, they weren't big enough to hold the recipe.  I quickly deduced that I would have to cook the beef stew twice, 4 pots in total. 

On Tuesday morning, I asked God to help me finish all of the cooking and even have time for a rest (10 hours of cooking is a lot!).  I started right away and the first batch of beef stew was completed by noon.  God helped me throughout the rest of the day and I was able to complete everything! 

The stew was deliciously rich, with many layers of flavors added over the course of cooking.  Perhaps my favorite layer was the cognac flambe!  The flames leapt much higher than I had anticipated and licked the door of the microwave!  The second round was flambed on the ground :).  For an appetizer I cooked mussels in white wine and they were delicious.  Lots of shallots, garlic, white wine and tomatoes made the mussels juicy and tangy. 

The profiteroles were a hit.  And not too difficult.  My puff pastry still needs some work, but it's getting better each time I make it.  I recommend this dessert to anyone, an elegant look without too much fuss.

 

Last week's steak dinner was a lot of fun.  I started cooking in the morning to make sure I could finish on time.  After an hour plus I was still unsuccessfully trying to cook the caramel sauce for the floating island dessert.  How frustrating!  How sticky!  How hot!  I finally decided to try again later and moved on to the meringues - sticky part two!  I am not a fan of meringue.  I have tried to make it 2 or 3 times and each time as I add the sugar they stop stiffening.  This time was no exception.  Everything was going along just fine, then I added the sugar slowly and they stopped firming up.  I had to start again with another egg white and SLOWLY add back my unstiffened whites + sugar.  A long and sticky process!  The vegetable tian was delicious and fun, I will surely make it again.  What a nice side dish!  The steak with bernaise turned out just fine, but much of the attention of the evening went to the pissaladiere - pizza with onions, anchovies and olives.  Yes, anchovies!  The first I've ever tried.  Not too bad, but SO SALTY!  The floating islands were extremely sweet - maybe I overdid the drizzles of caramel sauce?  And so chewy!  Overall, I think the vegetable tian was my winner.  And the floating isanlds win the prize for the strangest dessert yet.

What an action packed month!  Mike's two weeks of R&R felt like a month.  God blessed the in too many ways to list, and I was even able to put some of my newly learned skills into practice cooking a last minute dinner for Mike, Amy, Joshua and I.

Highlights:

• Meeting Mike at the gate, and a spontaneous "heroe's return" clap from the other passengers.  He was surprised that we had made it past security, and everyone was charmed by Joshua's exclamation "That's my Daddy!"
• Welcome home dinner with all of our family on the night Mike came home.  Everyone got to see Mike, hug him, and love on him and enjoy time together.
• Potty Training Joshua - Mike wanted to be involved and we were crazy to try this the day after Mike returned back!  He had been delayed a few days and we wanted to get it started before our San Francisco trip.  Incredibly stressful!!! But now, incredibly rewarding!!  An important shared memory for our little family.
• Valentine's Day double date with Amy & Joshua.  Joshua was a pretty good date, even if he didn't have flowers for his Auntie.  What fun to share a day of love with those we love so much.
• SAN FRANCISCO!  Too much to list, but the bicylce ride to Sausalito and Tiburon was the highlight of our time there. Lunch in China town, Chinese ballet, wandering and walking all over town, a foggy coastal drive and the most delightful breakfast I've ever had at the Farmhouse Inn.  Thank you Mom & Dad Freeman!
• Fun with Joshua - kite flying, his first movie, hiking to 7 falls (16 creek crossings in icy cold water!)
• Fun with family - zoo, Craig's birthday celebration, pizza dinner and more

Now it's been 10 days since he's gone back to Iraq and Joshua and I are starting to get back into our normal routine.  I think it's time to COOK!

Here's the menu:
Steak with Bernaise Sauce - Ribeye steaks
Vegetable Tian - a bed of sauteed onions covered with sliced zucchini, tomoato and potato, drizzled with olive oil and baked, finished with grated cheese.
Dessert: Ile Flottante - Floating Islands of meringue, with caramel, pralines, and creme anglaise.

Our last French family dinner was a wonderfully casual event.  We had all decided on something lighter because the filet of beef au poivre was delicious, but rich!  There were only three things on the menu, and this dinner was a breeze compared to some that I have cooked. 
Croque Monsieur
Provencal Vegetable Soup
Chocolate Truffles
The vegetable soup was tasty, and was upgraded to delightful by the addition of pistou, a kind of pesto sauce that was added to the soup at the last minute and served alongside the soup as a garnish.  Some freshly grated parmesan cheese and a dollop of pistou made all the difference.  It melted right into the soup adding a great deal of richness.

The Croque Monsieur sandwiches were a huge hit!  What's not to love?  Black Forest Ham, mustard, gruyere cheese, crunchy bread covered in bubbling, melted bechamel sauce and more grated cheese?  Delicious!

I'm not so sure about the truffles.  They might be a one time dessert.  The nice thing about them is that you can customize them by adding different flavorings or liqueurs and rolling in various items (powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, crushed almonds etc).  Maybe good for a party?