Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Dinner and a Movie: Funny Face

Who doesn't LOVE dinner and a movie, right? Well, I have an awesome paring for you today!
I LOVE Audry Hepburn and Fred Astaire, so Funny Face is one of those movies that I will love forever! If you have never seen it, its a musical about a bookstore clerk that meets a photographer. They run off together to Paris and fall in love!
So to go with that theme, I have a French Inspired meal that will be sure to warm your tummy while the movie warms your heart! :)

LIGHTS, CAMERA, COOK!



Braised Chicken with Leeks
Grocery List:
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp each salt and pepper
One 3 3⁄4-lb chicken, cut in eighths; skin removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
4 leeks (2 lb) white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, diagonally sliced crosswise, rinsed and dried
1 cup diced carrots
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1⁄2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1 tsp each dried rosemary and thyme, crushed
6 fresh plum tomatoes, cut in chunks


How to make it:
1. Heat oven to 325°F. Have ready a 3-qt Dutch oven.

2. Mix flour and 1⁄4 tsp each salt and pepper in a gallon-size plastic food bag. Add chicken, seal bag and shake to coat.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1⁄2 the chicken; brown 4 minutes per side. Remove to a large plate. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken.

4. Add butter to Dutch oven; melt over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots and garlic; cook, stirring as needed, 5 minutes or until softened.

5. Add broth, wine, herbs and rest of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring up bits on bottom. Add chicken.

6. Cover and bake 25 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; bake 15 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Put all chicken on serving platter. Scoop 2 cups vegetables including broth from pot; pour over chicken.

Nutritional Information:
295cal
11g fat
2g fiber
6 WW points

Lemon Ricotta Bundles with Blueberry Sauce
Grocery List:
Lemon-Ricotta Filling
1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta
3 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Crêpes ***See note at bottom of page!!
2 large eggs
1 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp light stick butter, melted
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blueberry Sauce
3 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen if you can't get fresh)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
1 roll green apple–flavor Fruit by the Foot fruit leather


Garnish: extra confectioners' sugar

How to make it:
1. Filling: Mix ingredients in medium bowl until blended. Scrape into a sieve set over a bowl, cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until excess liquid drains from ricotta.

2. Meanwhile, make crêpe batter: Combine ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Cover; let rest in refrigerator about 1 hour. You'll need sixteen 7-in. squares of wax paper.

3. Crêpes: Lightly coat a 6-in. nonstick skillet (measure pan across bottom) with nonstick spray. Place skillet over medium-low heat until pan is hot. Add 2 Tbsp batter, tilt skillet and gently swirl until batter covers bottom. Cook 1 minute, or until underside of crêpe is lightly browned. Loosen edges with a spatula and flip crêpe over. Cook other side 30 seconds. Slide crêpe onto a square of wax paper. Repeat with remaining batter, lightly spraying skillet each time and stacking cooked crêpes between wax paper (the recipe makes 16 crêpes; you'll need only 12).

4. Blueberry Sauce: Bring 2 cups of the blueberries and remaining sauce ingredients except lemon zest to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 3 minutes, or until berries soften and release their juices. Transfer mixture to a blender and purée; scrape through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds. Stir in lemon zest and reserve.

5. To assemble: Discard drained liquid from filling. Unroll fruit leather and cut twelve 8-in.-long, 1?4-in.-wide strips. Place a rounded Tbsp ricotta filling in center of a crêpe. Gather up edges to form a small bundle and tie with a strip of fruit leather (see photo). Make 11 more bundles.

6. To serve: Place 2 bundles on each plate. Spoon 1/4 cup sauce around bundles and sprinkle with some of the remaining blueberries. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Serve immediately.

**Plan ahead: You can make filling, crêpes and sauce up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. Bring crêpes and sauce to room temperature before assembling.

***If your scared about making creps, buy them already made at the grocery store, usually found in the produce section!

Nutritional Information:
294cal
9g fat
2g fiber
6 WW points

1 comment:

The Gourmet Momma said...

oh! very cool! I cant wait to check out your site!!!