Caramelized Onion, Fig, and Goat Cheese "Pizza"

This is a pretty good start to what would likely be an excellent cocktail pizza.  However, as Becky said, "the onions could be a little more caramelized." 

We started by rehydrating the dried figs.  I think this was mistake #1.  In my opinion, at least, dried figs = delicious; fresh/rehydrated figs = texture-challenged.  

Mistake #2: under-caramelizing the onions.  Actually, here we used shallots.  I thought that maybe shallots had a lower sugar content than yellow onions (which are often used for caramelizing), but after doing research, I found that this isn't true.  In fact, people caramelize shallots all the time.  I think the problem was that we cooked them on too high heat.  Low-to-medium is the way to go.

Butter AND olive oil.  A marriage made in heaven (like peanut butter and chocolate).

Halfway there!

The pizza turned out well, anyway, and given that we hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, we consumed the whole thing.  It won't go in my list of recipes to make again, though.

Into the oven and Becky's excited.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese "Pizza"

adapted from allrecipes.com

Large flatbread

8 dried figs

4 large shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

4 ounces goat cheese

Directions:

1.  Place figs in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Let stand for about 10 minutes, then drain and chop.  Set aside.

2.  Heat olive oil and butter in heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots; cook and stir until they are wilted and soft.  Reduce heat to low, and season with salt.  Continue to cook and stir until the shallots are a dark brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Stir in thyme and remove from the heat.

3.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spread onions and figs onto flatbread.  Dot with goat cheese.

4.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown at the edges.

Peanut Butter-Scented Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just ate two of these cookies and they were delicious.  Moist, chewy, and dense.  Everything a chocolate chip cookie should be.  But not everything a peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips should be.  I renamed them "peanut butter-scented chocolate chip cookies" because the peanut butter taste is so light that you wouldn't know you were eating a peanut butter cookie unless someone told you.

That doesn't make these cookies bad, but it makes them weak peanut butter cookies.  Next time I try the recipe, I'm going to triple the peanut butter and see how that works.  I'll let you know how it goes, but I can't imagine that more peanut butter would be a bad thing.

Peanut Butter-Scented Chocolate Chip Cookies

From allrecipes.com

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Drop spoonfuls onto baking sheet.

3.  Bake for 11 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges are golden.  Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before transferring them to cooling rack to cool completely. 

Filet Mignon with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Glaze

With endless numbers of recipes I have yet to try, and all the great dishes I've already made, I sometimes find it hard to choose what to make my friends for dinner on a Friday night.  Do I go with something new or stick with something I know is amazing?  Do I fix something healthy or splurge on a decadent dish?  To help me decide, I go to the Harris Teeter website to see what's on sale that week, and I usually go with one of the Teet's specials.  It doesn't matter that I can get chicken breast for $5.99/lb any day of the week--if Chilean sea bass is on sale for $17.99, down from $26.99, it's going in my cart.  Makes sense, I know.

This week, filet mignon was on sale, and I know that my friends like a good steak, so I decided to pick some up.  Always wanting to class things up a bit (I'm not a simple woman), I opted to top each filet with crumbled goat cheese and finish it with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.  Mmmmm.

I started out by patting the steaks dry and setting them on the counter for 20 minutes to warm them up.  The former allows a nice crust to form and the latter allows for more even cooking.  Then, went the butter and oil into my cast iron skillet (which I love, by the way).  

I seared the steaks on medium-high heat for 4 minutes per side, which I think was a little much.  First of all, the crust was almost-slash-definitely crispy, which I like, but others may not.   Second, my entire little apartment filled with smoke from the pan.  At that point, I topped each steak with goat cheese and put the whole thing in a 400 degree oven for about 3 minutes to allow the steaks to cook a bit more and the goat cheese to melt.

Since I like my steaks on the medium side of medium-rare, I could have gone for a couple more minutes in the oven, but Becky and Trevor thought they were perfect.  The light and tangy goat cheese is a great counterbalance to the richness of the steak, while the balsamic glaze (which you can get in most grocery stores in the vinegar section) offers a lovely hit of sweetness and tang.  I served with rosemary roasted potatoes and green beans.  Delicious!

Blurry picture, but you get the idea.

Becky came for the weekend!

Filet Mignon with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Glaze
(for 2)

2 filet mignon steaks
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 ounce crumbled goat cheese, divided
balsamic glaze

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Take the steaks out of the fridge and let rest on the counter for 20-30 minutes before cooking.  Pat dry.
2. Heat oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet, like a cast-iron skillet, over medium high heat.
3. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper and sear in the pan for 4 minutes per side.
4. Sprinkle goat cheese over each steak and place in the oven for 3 minutes to warm the cheese.  Cook longer if you like a more well-done steak.
5.  Remove from the oven, plate, and drizzle with balsamic glaze.