Food/Recipes

(KDKA) This week, Rania Harris is celebrating the approaching Halloween holiday with two new delicious recipes!

Chicken With Leeks and Mushrooms

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 
Salt and pepper 
2 tablespoons butter 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
4 medium leeks, chopped 
4 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced 
½ cup dry white wine 
½ cup whipping cream 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon         
Directions

Using meat mallet, flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to ½ inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium - high heat. Sauté the chicken until light brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plates.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to same skillet and melt over medium heat. Add leeks and mushrooms and cook until just beginning to color, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.   Add wine, cream. Add tarragon and simmer until leek mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.   Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet and simmer until chicken is just cooked through and leeks are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings.

Arrange chicken on serving platter. Spoon sauce over the chicken and serve immediately. 

Serves:  4

 

French Onion Soup

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter + 4 tablespoons (softened)
4 onions – sliced
2 cloves of garlic – chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
Freshly  ground black pepper
1 cup red wine
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
8 cups beef stock made with Wyler's beef bouillon granules

1 French baguette – sliced
10 ounces Gruyere cheese – grated
Chopped fresh chives for garnish

Directions:

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions just begin to caramelize, about 20 minutes.  Add the wine and bring back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer just until the onions begin to dry, about 5 minutes longer.  Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.  Dust the onions with the flour and cook for about 10 minutes over very low heat.  Now add the beef stock and bring the soup back to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.  Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

Just before serving, preheat the broiler.  Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and brush them with the softened butter.  Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere cheese and broil until bubbly and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and float some to the Gruyere croutons on top.  Garnish with chives.

Serves:  4 - 6

Beef Tenderloin with a Southwestern Kick!

3 pounds beef tenderloin (trimmed)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Southwestern Style Sauce:

2 garlic cloves – minced
3 tablespoons shallots – minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons Heinz Spicy Brown Mustard
1 ½ teaspoons black peppercorns – crushed
2 cups Wyler's Chicken Bouillon
3 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ cup Heinz Cider Vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons cilantro – chopped

Garnish: 1 ½ tablespoons jalapeno – finely diced

Directions:

Cut the beef into eight ½-inch thick medallions, about 6 ounces each. Season the medallions with salt and pepper to taste and brush with olive oil.  Cover and chill until ready to pan grill.

Heat a little olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Sauté the garlic and shallots for 1- 2 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and cook until slightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Add the mustard, peppercorns, chicken bouillon, maple syrup, vinegar, and salt and pepper.  Simmer until mixture reduces to a sauce consistency, about 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.  Sauté the medallions to the desired doneness, 1 ½ minutes for the first side and approximately 1 minute for the second side for medium.

Finish the sauce with the cilantro and serve over the tenderloin.  Garnish with the jalapeno.

Serves:  8

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)