Dutch Babies

Saturday mornings...different for every person or family. Is your perfect Saturday the newspaper, coffee and a run? The smell of bacon frying in a hot pan? The joy of not having to set the alarm? Sticky fingers of little ones as they dig into the next bite of heaven? Whatever your pleasure, these Dutch Babies are a lovely Saturday addition.
From my table to yours...

Dutch Babies
Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C flour
• 2T melted butter
• 1/2 t salt

Garnish:

• Lemon wedges
• Confectioners' sugar
• Maple syrup
• Fresh, sliced strawberries

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 F
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until blended
• Add flour to eggs (slowly), beat until smooth
• Add milk (slowly), beat until smooth
• Lightly beat in 2 T melted butter and salt.
• Thickly butter two 9-inch pie pans (yes, cooking spray works too).
• Pour half the batter into each
• Bake 10 minutes. reduce heat to 350 F and bake for 5 min longer
• Serve immediately with melted butter, lemon wedges, confectioners' sugar, strawberries and syrup for toppings! Lovely Saturday morning in the making...

Tuna with Horseradish, Lemon and Mustard

This was published in the Washington Post a few weeks ago. I finally got around to whipping this bad boy up ...and it was pretty dang fab. Sweet, sour and spicy - the perfect combination in my book!
From my table to yours...

Tuna with Horseradish, Lemon and Mustard
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 T prepared horseradish
• 7 ounces plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 t hot English mustard
• 1 t red wine vinegar
• Leaves from 3 sprigs of flat leave parsley (save some for garnish too)
• 1 1/2 # piece of tuna
• Kosher salt

Directions

• Move the oven rack to 5 inches from the broiler; preheat broiler.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
• Combine the horseradish and yogurt. Add pepper to taste.
• Using a grater, zest the lemon (2t) then squeeze the juice (3-4T) into a small bowl. Stir in the mustard and vinegar.
• Add to the lemon-mustard mixture to the horseradish mixture to form a sauce.
• Coarsely chop the parsley to yield 1 1/2 T, then add to the horseradish mixture.
• Taste; the sauce should be hot, sour and salty. Some of the horseradish heat will mellow as the fish cooks.
• Cut the tuna into 4 steaks of equal size. Season lightly with S&P and arrange on baking sheet.
• Use all of the sauce to cover the top of each piece of fish.
• Broil for 5 or 6 min (if you like your tuna on the rare side)
• The sauce should be slightly caramelized on the top.

Serve smoking hot!

Rioja Steamed Mussels with Chorizo

A few months ago an old friend, turned sommelier and mixologist, sent me a bottle of Rioja. He told me to serve it a tad chilled on a warm day. You don't have to tell me that more than once - Done!

I don't consider myself a vino connoisseur (seem to be a bit of a creature of habit) but the flavor of summer fruits with a touch of toasted spiciness just begged to be accompanied by an evening of tapas. With tapas and Rioja, you've set the stage for a casual, light-hearted, full-flavored evening. Here is a simple, tasty tapa to add to your spread.

From my table to yours...

Rioja Steamed Mussels with Chorizo

Ingredients:

• 1 # Chorizo, casings removed, crumbled
• 1 large Spanish onion
• 2 # black mussels, cleaned
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 1 bottle Rioja or dry red wine (Don't worry, I didn't use the bottle he sent me)
• 1/2 C flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

• Put the chorizo in a large, heavy pot with lid. Cook over medium/high heat until meat is browned and the fat starts to escape.
• Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon and reserve.
• Add chopped onion, pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 5-8 min, or until softened.
• Add mussels
• Pour entire bottle of rioja into the pot, bring to a boil and cover. Cook for 5 min or until mussels open.
• Remove the lid and ditch any mussels that didn't open. Stir the mussels so they are coated in the wine, sausage and onions.
• Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.