Country Ham and Cheddar Tartine with French Hot Chocolate.

I bet you thought baguettes were only good the day you bought them, all hot and crusty. Mais non! I made baguettes over the weekend, today is Fat Tuesday, and I've got some leftover French bread that's still pretty nice because I bagged the extra and stored it in the fridge.

A tartine is simply the French version of an open-face sandwich. Last week, on an orange and chocolate tear, I made one with brioche, orange jam and Nutella. It was mighty good.

For my savory tartine, the process was much the same.

Except the ingredients were:
baguette
1 red onion, caramelized
1 thin slice of country ham
a good quality cheddar
honey mustard

Caramelized onions are a good thing to keep around - they're easy and add a lot of flavor. Cut one medium red onion into rings and sautee in a tablespoon of olive oil or half oil and half butter. Throw in some ground black pepper, sage and a bit of salt and stir while they go translucent over medium heat. Let them go another 15 minutes and you've got a sweet, savory sandwich or meat accompaniment.

My leftover baguette was big, so I only used half, slicing it longways and using only the bottom half of that. I toasted the crusty side first, for crispness, then buttered the bready top half and broiled that just a bit.

While the baguette was toasting, I cooked the country ham with a bit of water in my sautee pan. When the baguette half was toasted, I plated it and applied one of my secret pleasures.

I know. I know. Don't judge. Look at those happy honeybees on the label!

Next, the caramelized onions, country ham and several slices of serious cheddar (today it was Boar's Head). I slid this back under the broiler to melt the cheese into the ham and generally warm everything back up. Et voila - salty, savory, tangy and sweet!

Now the only thing missing was something decadent to wash it down. Enter my friend Carol and her amazing French Chocolate recipe. I refer you to her witty and delicious blog --
Cambria Cooks at http://www.calindstrom.com/cambriacooks/2010/08/05/beverage-french-chocolate/, but the recipe goes like this:

Ingredients:
2 1/2 squares Baker’s unsweetened chocolate, cut in pieces
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
Dash of salt
1/2 cup cream, whipped
6 cups of hot milk
Directions:
Combine water and chocolate and cook over low flame until smooth, stirring constantly for about four minutes. Add sugar and salt; continue to cook stirring until thick for about four minutes longer. Cool. Whip cream. Fold chocolate mixture into cream.

(Try to keep from licking the bowl until after you're done.)
Put two heaping tablespoons of mixture in a mug. For a bit of flare, add a peppermint stick as a stirrer. Chocolate mix can be doubled or tripled easily for larger gatherings. The chocolate mix can also be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator for use, in a covered container.

Thanks, Carol!

This is the creamiest, most decadent hot chocolate I've ever had and really, not much trouble to prepare when you consider how many servings it yields.

Now, if you'll excuse me, with dinner and chocolate out of the way, I've got a date with Dennis Quaid.

Mardi Gras and muffalettas. A guest post by somebody who might be related to me.

If you're a mom, sometimes you might pretend that there are certain things your offspring would never do. Here is one:

That's my son on the right.

Here is another:

Oh, I could go on.

But that'd just keep me awake all night. Instead, I'll let guest baker, Tyler Speaks, tell you about himself and his amazing muffaletta.

Guest Muff’n

Hello internets. Hello Mom and Leo.

Let me preface with a bit about myself.  I envisioned myself at age 24 with a fancy degree, 5,000+ skydives and a steady flock of babes.  One of those wishes has come true.  Anyways, a steady grasp of travel and cuisine in America is never something I thought I would be an expert on, but for the first time in my life I am ready to share some knowledge with them internets.

Truthfully, I never really cared for New Orleans.  I like jazz, but not when homeless people blast it in my grill.  I like culture and beignets, but not underwater.  I like interfacing with the local populace, but not at knifepoint.   Also, my roommate is a Saints fan.  He loves to let you know it.  I brought two things back from New Orleans: MRSA and a love of Cajun cuisine.  I will share ONE of these things with you now.

I don’t really even get why this is a Cajun dish, it seems more Italian or something fruity to me.  It is, however, one of the few things that brings me joy in this bleak world and is as much fun to make as it is to consume.

I’ve tried a few recipes from different spots on this muffaletta (hereon referred to as “muff”) and my favorite is one I got from my drunken Saints-obsessed roommate.  I think he got it from The Central Grocery or something like that in the French Quarter.  Anyshways, it’s pretty straightforward: Get a loaf. Get some meat and cheese.  Make an olive salad.  Combine.  More info you ask? Here we are:

Olive Salad:

2/3 cup green olives, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup black olive, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped pimientos

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 Tbsp. capers

1 metric ton of chopped parsley

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Mix all those ingredients together and cover.  Marinate in fridge.

Muff:

1 lg round loaf bread (Italian or whatever)

1/3 lb thin sliced salami

1/3 lb thin sliced ham

1/3 lb thin sliced provolone cheese

olive salad

Once the olive salad is mixed together you let it marinate in the fridge for at least a few hours.  Probably no more than 24 hours or it gets greazy.  Also, put this stuff in a mason jar if you don’t want your fridge to smell like the entire country of Greece condensed into a mixing bowl. 

Ah, the bread.  This is my favorite because I really enjoy baking.  It really tickles the chemist in me and is a good substitute when the labs are closed (or class gets skipped).  Basically, you can buy any big ole round loaf you want, but if you really wanna make an impression on the babes/dudes then make your own bread.  Personally, I prefer a nice olive sourdough.  Get the bread however you want.

Tyler's sourdough w/o olives

So, your bread is fresh out the oven and olive salad has been stewing overnight.   To prepare the bread, slice the top of the round loaf about an inch or so and remove it, like a hat.  Cut a circle and hollow out the inside, leaving a sturdy wall on the sides and the bottom.  This is hard for me to describe for some reason, just Google it or something.  Once bread victory has been achieved, brush a thin layer of olive oil on the inside bottom of the hollow loaf.  Next grab some meats and layer them.  Add the cheese at the top and cover the whole shebang with a thick spread of olive salad.  Everything should pretty much be bursting out the top of the loaf.  Put the top of the bread back on and cut in half and serve.  If you like it hot (some like it hot), then shove it in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes.  The original recipe says to serve this dish with root beer to be authentic.  I say serve with actual beer.  A heavy one.

Hope you enjoy preparing and serving this as much as I do.  It has been a pleasure guest-writing here and maybe I can do it again soon.  Maybe a report on the fabulous dishes of Afghanistan next.  Probably not. 

P.S.: I am single, moderately attractive (most would say 7) and am pretty good at various skills.  Also, well read.  And I travel.  Cheers everyone!!