Potato Gratin "Boome-style"

Yes, I am still on my Danny Boome kick, but this is the last recipe for awhile and I promise I am going somewhere with all this. I had been looking for a Potato Gratin recipe for a really long time, but could never find one that came out as I liked. I saw this on Rescue Chef and it just looked so delicious, I had to try it. What a find! These potatoes are super easy to make and are filled with creamy goodness. I love the texture the skins give. I researched this on Food Network and a lot of people added or subtracted or just plain had problems with the recipe. I followed it just as is and it worked perfectly. The only thing that didn't really happen is that they weren't in neat little stacks. They tasted great, though! See my notes below for the "rings" you need to use to make this.

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby new potatoes
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the baby new potatoes with skins on into a large saucepan of cold, salted water, place the saucepan onto a medium heat and bring the potatoes to boil. Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, until a knife can easily be inserted, but potatoes are not falling apart.
• Drain potatoes and place them back into the pan. Using a fork roughly mash up leaving nice big potato chunks. Mix in the grated cheese, heavy cream, butter and black pepper. Take a foil lined baking sheet and place 4 rings (2-inches wide) on top. Fill each ring with potato mixture and place in oven for 20 minutes until the top is nice and golden brown.
• Using a wide spatula, transfer the ring of potatoes to each plate. Holding the edge of the hot ring with a kitchen towel, cut around the potatoes to loosen them. Remove the ring and serve hot.

Notes

Joey and I created the "rings" used in the recipe from Mandarin Orange cans. This was exactly the size we needed. Make sure to save these for the next time you make this recipe because I am certain if you make it once, you will make it again.

Pan-Fried Asparagus with Shallots

One of the greatest treats of the spring is that asparagus is plentiful and affordable. For many years I had just one asparagus recipe that was tried and true, but I really wanted to try something different. In the same episode of Danny Boone's Rescue Chef that with the Molten Chocolate Baby Cakes was this recipe for Pan-Friend Asparagus with Shallots. The recipe seemed too simple to be true, but Danny's infectious way of saying "shallot" (like "a lot") coaxed me to give it a try. My goodness, I am so glad I did. Despite it's simplicity, it is one of the best asparagus dishes I have ever made. This recipe really goes to show you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients or techniques to creat an amazing dish.

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus, thinly sliced on a bias
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute then add the asparagus.
3. Cook for 5 minutes and season with a little salt and pepper.
4. Serve warm.

Molton Chocolate Baby Cakes

I really cannot bake and therefore don't make a lot of desserts beyond ice cream and berries with angle food cake. However, I wanted to make something special for Joey and Danny Boome charmed me into it. If you have not seen his show, Rescue Chef, on the Food Network, you really should check it out. Besides his infectious charm, Danny actually has some really great recipes and this is one of them. I followed this almost exactly and they turned out perfectly. I was very impressed with my efforts on this particular recipe and even more so with Danny's recipe itself.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup brandy or cognac
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup (1 stick plus 1/2 stick) butter, plus some for buttering the baking cups
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons flour
• 6 teaspoons cocoa powder, for coating the baking cups

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the brandy and orange juice to a simmer. Add the cherries, simmer 1 minute and turn off the heat. Soak the cherries in the warm mixture until they plump up, about 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Set a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Place the chocolate and the butter into the bowl and let it sit over the heat until the chocolate begins to melt. Stir to combine and continue to heat until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
4. In a large bowl, beat together the whole eggs, yolks and sugar until the mixture turns light and thick.
5. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Beat in the flour until just combined. Do not over-mix the batter.
6. Butter 6 (4-ounce) ramekins. Sprinkle each ramekin with 1 teaspoon cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Divide the batter among the ramekins.
   
7. Drain the cherries andput a few cherries into the center of each ramekin. Use a spoon to push the batter over the cherries to cover them.
8. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 7 to 9 minutes. The outside of the desserts will be set, but the centers will be soft.
9. To serve, invert each mold on a plate and let sit for 10 seconds. Slowly lift one side of the mold and the cake will fall out. (If the cakes won't easily come out, just servethem right in the cups.)

Notes

These little desserts are easy to make ahead. Refrigerate them in the baking cups and when you're ready to bake, bring them up to room temperature and bake as above. I tried this and it worked like a charm. What a time saver!