Cooking for Alan – Dinner #7 Herbed Fromage Blanc with Crudite
You cannot go wrong in choosing filet mignon as your main course. Unless of course you’re feeding a vegetarian! No worries here. I did some “intel” on our special dinner guests and learned that they enjoy a good steak. In fact one of their favorite restaurants in town is known as one of the best steak places around. So I stepped up my game and created a menu based around this decadent cut of beef. I kept the first course and the side dish simple to let the beef and dessert be the stars. When our good friend said that my filet was as good or better than the filet he’s had at his favorite restaurant, I knew I had done well.
MENU
Herbed Fromage Blanc with Crudite
Creamy Parmesan Polenta
Filet Mignon with a Creamy Mustard and Mushroom Sauce
Frozen Mocha Mousse with Fresh Whipped Cream
Some might call the starter course “veggies and dip” and they would be right. However, this “dip” tastes nothing like any pre-packaged container you’ll find in the dairy aisle. I called 3 different stores in my area and none of them carried fromage blanc. So I did a little research to find out suitable substitutes. Most sources recommended using greek yogurt. This made me a happy girl since that’s a staple in my fridge. It makes a great, quick breakfast when topped with fresh berries, some granola and a squirt of honey. It also works great in dips and sauces you heat.
It calls for lots of fresh herbs and lemon zest. All of which give it a fresh, bright flavor. Do not bother substituting dried herbs. It will not work and will taste like you’re eating dried dust.
I know they’re rather expensive in the super market. So I recommend everyone get a large flower pot, fill it with good potting soil. Pop in 4 or 5 of your favorite herbs. Find a spot outside, near your kitchen where they can get about 6 hours of sunlight each day.
Herbs are really hard to kill. Most important is to water them regularly. If you forget, they’ll show you by looking quite droopy. I’ve been growing culinary herbs like this for many years. It saves you so much money. I live in Central Missouri and I can grown mine from late April through early October. My pot usually contains, Italian Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, and Flat Leaf Parsley.
The fromage blanc made a great dip for pita chips and lots of fresh veggies crudite. One tip I have for anytime you’re making a veggie platter…take the time to blanch and flash chill veggies like asparagus, brocolli and fresh green beans. Blanch and then tossing in a bowl filled with ice water does two things: first it tenderizes the vegetables slightly and second, it brings up their color to a vibrant green or white, depending on what you’re making. I can’t tell you how many time people “ooh” over my veggie platters, especially when they included blanched asparagus or hericot vert.
Herbed Fromage Blanc with Crudite
After searching the web, it doesn’t appear that Ina Garten’s exact recipe for the dip has been published. So click here for a list of the ingredients and you should be able to play around with it to come up with a dip. Remember, lemon zest is used, the fromage blanc or greek yogurt is the base ingredient and of course there is kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Stay tuned for future posts that will feature the other courses from Cooking for Alan Dinner #7.
