10 recettes favorites

The lovely Mijo, of Je Mijote, tagged me for a Meme! It's for each blogger to make a list of his/her ten favorite recipes of 2006. These recipes are not necessarily those that received the most comments, but, rather, those that I preferred. So, without further ado, here they are:

January

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Stir-Fry with Cashews, over Quinoa

I made this for the first and, so far, only Paper Chef I've participated in and it was delicious! Yogurt was a great marinade for the Chicken, ensuring that it stayed moist and tangy. And the Cashews added a great change of texture. I must remember to make Quinoa again (it's a great substitute for Rice) and to take part in more Paper Chefs.

March

Frittata d'epinards, oeufs et trois fromages

This baked dish, which was really more of a crustless Quiche than a Frittata, was absolutely delicious. I served it as a side dish, but it could be equally appropriate for brunch. With two bunches of Spinach, it's an easy way to get in a serving of green, leafy vegetables. And, chock full of Eggs and three kinds of Cheese, it's a great vegetarian source of Calcium and Protein.

Rib-eye steaks au livarot

This was the first recipe I ever blogged and I made it again to celebrate my first blog-birthday. It was even better than I had remembered it, so I'm really glad I made it twice! Being in the States, I used Rib-Eye Steaks instead of Filet de Boeuf. Livarot, a stinky washed-rind cheese, is the perfect counterbalance to the rich, almost sweet, meat and makes a fabulous sauce.

May

Soupe de betterave

This was nothing more than a simple Beet Soup, but very delicious. It was chock full of Beets and Onions which made it extremely flavorful. I also think there are very few dishes that are more nourishing than a good Soup, no matter what the weather is like outside. That said, this is definitely a dish I'll remake now that it's quite cold out.

Focaccia d'ail, asperges, fraises & romarin

My first attempt at homemade Focaccia (and using a pizza stone) and it was wonderful. It was also surprisingly easy; the hardest part was to be patient and wait for the dough to rise. I'm looking forward to experimenting with many toppings other than the unlikely combination of Asparagus, Strawberries and Rosemary.

June

Glace pomme-mangue

The Boy bought me an Ice Cream ball and, in the midst of a heat wave, this was one of my early experiments with it. The ball was a lot of fun to play with and I really liked the combination of Mango and Apple (I actually didn't invent the flavor; I used a Mango-Applesauce).

August

Berry Pudding Cake

Seduced by all the summer Berries in the Greenmarket, I decided to put them together, inspired by one of the recipes they handed out at the stand. This Cake has a soft, Pudding-like interior that made it light enough for a summer dessert.

September

Pesto d'ete

A huge surprise for pasta eaters like the Boy and me, it took me years to make my own Pesto. But, last Summer, I finally did. It was so easy that, as soon as fresh Basil starts appearing at the Greenmarket again, I'll start makin big batches of it and freezing it to remind us of summer in the winter months.

Soupe d'ete

My last attempt to hold onto Summer's bounty was this Soup, adapted from one created by Susan of Farmgirl Fare. It's great if you have a garden of your own, or if you just can't contain yourself at the Greenmarket, which is my problem. Definitely a keeper!

December

Pain de biere, d'amandes et de gingembre

Although I'm still quite nervous about baking, I did finally get around to making my own Bread from scratch. I had read that making Bread with Beer is considerably easier, so that's what I did. The hardest part was waiting for it to rise! This time, I flavored it with Almonds and Ginger. Next time I'll definitely play around with some more flavorings.

Thanks for "listening" to my re-cap! Stay tuned for 2007.