cream of turkey & wild mushroom soup

Velvety and comforting, this recipe transforms any left over poultry into a bodacious meal with its own identity. Enjoy ^.^~

2 cups left over turkey breast, diced
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 leaves fresh sage, finely minced
1 stick butter, 1/4 cup
1 cup mixed mushrooms (button, beechwood and porcini), sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small carrot, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1-2 cups cream
4 cups water
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a small saucepan, heat the butter on low heat, add the flour and cook for a few minutes. Add the white wine and bring to a boil. Use a whisk to stir until smooth. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

In the mean while, heat olive oil in a medium pot. Add chopped onions and saute until lightly caramelized for good flavor. Season with salt & pepper. Add the thyme, garlic, sage, mushrooms, carrot, celery and cook until vegetables are soft. Season again with salt & pepper.

Add the water, cream, turkey and the butter mixture. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not boil, this will separate the butter and cream. Serve hot with crusty bread.

herb encrusted pork loin with classic black peppercorn sauce

The pork loin is one of my favorite things to make and a total hit every time. You have to let the pork rest out of the oven as it allows the meat to finish cooking and juices to distribute evenly within the meat. It will be perfectly cooked, tender and moist! We have so many variations to this so look for more recipes to come!  ^.^~

1 bone-in pork loin (5 bones, 2.5 pounds)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried summer savory
5 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
2 shallots, finely minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup good Merlot
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400° F / 200° C.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over pork loin. Season with minced garlic, summer savory, half of the thyme leaves, salt & freshly ground black pepper. Use your hands to pack the spices onto the pork loin.

Place the pork loin, bone side down on a roasting pan. Roast in the oven until internal temperature reaches 140° F / 60° C, about 35 minutes. Transfer the roasted pork-loin to a large plate, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 15 minutes. This allows the meat to finish cooking and juices to distribute evenly within the meat.

While the pork loin is resting. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in the roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot, rest of the thyme and saute for a minute. Scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the roasting pan (where all the flavor is). Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir until it is incorporated with the oil and butter, about 2 minutes.

Slowly pour in 1 cup of Merlot. Whisk the sauce until smooth and thickened. Add the meat juice from the plate where the pork loin has been resting. Turn heat down and simmer for about 5 minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor. Season with salt & lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Remove bone from the pork loin. Slice the pork, arrange on a plate and serve with warm black peppercorn sauce. For sides, we made sauteed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes.

chèvre tomato omelette

2 eggs
4 tablespoons chèvre
5 small ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
pinch of thyme
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon water

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, a small pinch of salt, and pepper together with a fork (don’t over beat).  Heat an omelette pan to medium high, coat pan with butter.  Pour eggs in the pan while using one hand to move the pan around vigorously and in a circular motion.  Allowing eggs to be cooked in one thickness throughout the pan.  Lower the heat to lowest temperature. Add chèvre, tomatoes, and a pinch of thyme on one half of the omelette.  Once the eggs get to the consistency that you want on the top, flip the omelette over to a half moon and pour water in the pan.  Cover for no more than one minute. Uncover and evaporate any liquid.  Plate omelette, salt & pepper to taste.