This recipe includes some very strange flavour combinations. I mean, I've heard of both black pepper and balsamic vinegar being used in desserts before, but not both together and not in such large quantities! I was a bit nervous about the results, but I wanted to give it a try anyway and, I must say, I was quite pleased with the results! It was an unusual flavour profile, but not an unpleasant one.

Strawberry Parfaits with Black Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. black peppercorns, coarsely ground
• 500g fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Chambord¹
• 250mL vanilla ice cream²
• whipped cream

Directions

1. Combine the strawberries and black pepper and set aside.
2. Combine the sugar and water in a small pot, cover, and heat over medium-high heat until the sugar melts.
3. Uncover and cook, swirling -- BUT NOT STIRRING -- occasionally, until the sugar darkens into a light caramel (5-10 mintes).
4. Add the strawberries and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until any chunks of sugar/caramel that formed when the strawberries were added melt and dissolve back into the juice (2-4 minutes).
5. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar and Chambord.
6. Cover and chill for at least an hour.
7. Once ready to serve, place some strawberries in the bottoms of three small jars and then layer some ice cream and more strawberries over them.
8. Top with whipped cream and serve.

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¹ The original recipe called for kirsch, but a) I didn't have any and b) neither TF nor I like it anyway. We did, however, have a selection of other liquors. I decided that Chambord would be a nice match with the strawberries and used it in place of the kirsch. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for 500mL of ice cream, but I only used about half of that amount. Of course, the original recipe also claims to serve six and I only actually made three parfaits! So, maybe the original amount would have been fine if I'd split it six ways. That said, there definitely wouldn't have been nearly enough strawberries to do that. I had a scant pound (450g) of strawberries and I already found that a bit skimpy (hence bumping it up to 500g here). There's no way that 450g would have been enough to make six parfaits. I was honestly debating whether to bump the strawberies up to 600 or 700g. That said, I think 500g is sufficient -- if not exaclty generous -- for three parfaits. ^Back

I really like kabocha squash. It's sweet like a pie pumpkin, but the flesh is much less wet. It's great roasted and mashed. (As it is for these squash toastsa.)

This recipe calls for a slightly different approach. Rather than roasting it with the skin on and then scooping out the softened flesh, you cut it into wedges and peel it first and then roast the wedges. Sounds good. But, sadly, I had a bit of trouble with this approach. The wedges took much longer to cook than the recipe suggested and, with a longer cooking time, they ended up starting to burn at the tips while still being somewhat underdone in the middle. Next time I think I'd just cut the squash into cubes and roast it that way. Or, possibly better yet, roast unpeeled halves, mash the flesh, and then just drizzle a little balsamic over it before serving. Because, while this approach wasn't terrible, it wasn't great either, so I would definitely like to make some modificaitons next time. (Or just save the squash and use it for something else entirely.)

Roasted Kabocha Squash with Balsamic Vinegar

From Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 kabocha squash (~1kg)
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Then cut each half into wedges ~2cm thick¹ and peel each wedge.
3. Toss squash wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Roast at 200°C (400°F) until tender (20-25 minutes).
5. Drizzle with balsamic and roast for another 2-3 minutes.

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¹ In retrospect, part of my problem may be that I cut my wedges too thick. But even so, I don't think I'd want to do wedges again. Trying to cut and peel the wedges was annoying. I think I'd still rather just do cubes or mash and drizzle. ^Back

I've really fallen off the rails with the meal plan this week. I usually end up deviating from whatever I've sketched out at some point during the week, but it doesn't typically start happening the day after I put the darn thing together!

Anyway, this week has been a bit weird and I've ended up having to make a lot of last-minute swaps. These chicken thighs were originally destined for a delicious-sounding chicken, lemon, and olive tagine, but the parsley that I'd intended to use for the marinade had gone off and by the time I was able to get home with more, there wasn't enough time left to actually marinate the meat. So I ended up seeking something that I could make more quickly with the ingredients I had on hand. And, honestly, this was a really solid choice. It turned out great! I really love the dark tanginess of the balsamic-and-citrus-based sweet and sour sauce.

Chicken Agrodolce with Delicata Squash

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt, ground and divided
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• 8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 allspice berries
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 delicata squash, seeded and cut into 2-cm cubes
• 1 large red onion, cut into 2-cm cubes
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1/2 c. orange juice (~2 oranges)
• 1/4 c. lemon juice (~1 lemon)
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 3-4 Tbsp. pine nuts¹, toasted

Directions

1. Combine the flour, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and 1/4 tsp. of the pepper and dredge the chicken in it.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the chicken, skin-side-down, along with the bay leaves and allspice berries.
4. Cook, turning once, until golden and slightly crispy (~8 minutes). Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
5. Add the garlic, squash, and red onion and cook until the vegetables begin to caramelize (~8 minutes).
6. Add the honey, vinegar, and wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half (5-6 minutes).
7. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper along with the cayenne and stir to combine.
8. Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through (20-25 minutes).
10. If sauce is still too thin for your liking, stir in a little of the leftover dredging flour and cook for another minute or two.
11. Add the pine nuts and cook until they soften slightly (2-3 minutes).

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¹ I was all out of pine nuts, so I ended up slowly toasting a few whole almonds and then chopping them into slivers and using them in place of the pine nuts. I think they made a good substitute, but I'll try it with pine nuts next time if I can. ^Back

Well, I still can't find the recipe I was actually looking for, but I did come across this quick and easy steak recipe during my search. It's not quite a complete meal on its own, but it at least gives you a good start. A nice salad and maybe some mashed potatoes would round it out nicely.

Strip Steaks with Sautéed Onion and Mushrooms

From Cook's Country April/May 2015

Ingredients

• 2 strip or rib-eye steaks¹ (~3cm thick and 450g each)
• salt
• pepper
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 250g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Season steaks with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
3. Cook steaks until well-browned (~5 minutes per side). Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add mushrooms, onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
6. Cook until well-browned (~5 minutes).
7. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so.
8. Stir in vinegar as well as any meat juices from steaks and simmer, scraping bottom of pan for a minute or so.
9. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. of chives.
10. Add butter.
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Slice steaks and transfer to platter.
13. Top with sauce and sprinkle with remaining chives.

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¹ I believe rib-eye steaks are known as scotch fillets in other parts of the world. I'm not sure if strip steaks have an alternate name. ^Back

Pork Chops with Cherry Tomatoes and Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

• 4 (~250g) bone-in rib pork chops, trimmed
• salt and pepper
• 30mL canola oil
• 1 shallot, sliced thin
• 375g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 100mL balsamic vinegar
• 30mL butter
• 64g blue cheese, crumbled
• 64mL chopped fresh basil

Procedure

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork until well browned and cooked through, ~4 minutes/side; remove to plate.
3. Add shallot to skillet and cook until soft, ~1 minute.
4. Add tomatoes and cook until they too start to soften, ~1 minute.
5. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
6. Deglaze pan with vinegar and cook until it thickens and becomes syrupy, ~2 minutes.
7. Pour accumulated juices from plate back into skillet. Remove from heat.
8. Whisk in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Pour over pork chops, top with blue cheese and basil, and serve.

Balsalmic braised chicken

From AllRecipes. We modified the recipe slightly in adding mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
• peanut oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 540mL tin of diced tomatoes
• 125mL balsamic vinegar
• 5mL dried basil
• 5mL dried oregano
• 5mL dried rosemary
• 2.5mL dried thyme

Procedure

1. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil over medium high heat; brown the chicken, ~4 minutes/side
3. Add onion and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have released their juices and the juices have cooked off and the onion is starting to brown.
4. Add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
5. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes.

Serve over brown rice.

Roast Pork with Asparagus

I changed up a couple details for this recipe to fit what was available/on hand. It came out delicious and was very quick and easy to put together with almost no prep work! It would've been even faster if I'd done it with pork tenderloin as the recipe suggested. I ended up using a boneless rib roast, so it took a little longer to cook since it was thicker than tenderloin. Still wonderful and pretty quick though.

Roast Pork with Asparagus
Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2015
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1 Tbsp. + 1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
800g boneless pork rib roast
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
800g (or more) asparagus
1/2 c. chicken broth
140g soft, unripened goat cheese
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1. Combine rosemary, 1 Tbsp. pepper, and 1 tsp. salt.
2. Dry pork and sprinkle with pepper mixture.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large pan over medium-high and sear pork on all sides.
4. Roast for 30-35 minutes at 450F. (Until internal temperature reaches 140F.)
5. Heat remaining oil in empty pan (still over medium-high). Add asparagus, broth, and remaining salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Remove asparagus to serving dish/platter. Crumble goat cheese on top.
7. Add vinegar and cook until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
8. Slice pork and place on top of asparagus. Drizzle with sauce and enjoy!