My Birthday Dinner

Yesterday was my birthday.  The first one since I changed the course of my life.  I knew it would be different but I also knew that, in the same way I took control of my life, I was going to make this birthday the way I wanted it to be.

Here’s how it rolled:

After work I walked up to downtown Asheville and bought myself some presents: some clothes, a nice smelling soap, an inspirational mug (I am centered, I am happy, I am loved) and a couple of books. Then I stopped at Karen Donatelli Bakery and Café where I bought a lovely salted caramel tart for my birthday cake.

And then I got home where I found my daughters had left me a pile of presents and cards.  And when I opened my refrigerator I found…a birthday cake!  Salted Caramel of course because my daughters know my taste.

Dinner was on me.  Living alone my meals are not as involved or experimental as they used to be.  I tend to cook a simple protein and salad.  But this was my birthday!

On the menu:

Pan Roasted Veal Chop with Bourbon Mushroom Sauce

Salad of Artichoke Heart and Tomato

Salted Caramel Cake

Pan roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook meats, especially because I have a useless hood in my apartment and this process results in a lot less smoke than stove top cooking. Basically you sear the meat in a saute pan then place it in a preheated oven to finish cooking.  This results in a beautifully browned piece of meat which is evenly cooked throughout.  The first time I did this with lamb chops I was a convert for life!

I rubbed the veal chop with a little olive oil, garlic, chopped fresh rosemary and salt and pepper then set them aside while I prepared the mushrooms and preheated the oven.  I had bought some assorted mushrooms, Portobello, oyster mushrooms and brown mushrooms but I wanted to amp up the natural earthy flavor of mushrooms so I took a few dried morels and rehydrated them with a little boiling water.

I sautéed the chop for about 3 minutes on a side until it had a nice golden brown sear then put it on a baking tray and popped it in the oven for ten minutes.

The mushrooms went into the sautéed pan with the drippings from the chop.  Once they were cooked I deglazed the pan with some bourbon and a little of the water from the morels.  Reduced it and finished it with some cream, salt and pepper.

My salad consisted a of an artichoke heart, cherry tomatos, a little onion and manchego cheese on a bed of mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette.

The whole meal took fifteen minutes from start to finish.

And finally, because it was my birthday, I opened a bottle of Methode Champenoise Raspberry wine from Temecula Hills, California.  (The touch of raspberry they have added to the wine makes it taste like a Kir Imperial.

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Pan Roasted Veal Chops with Bourbon Mushroom Sauce

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in veal chops
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbs rosemary
• 2 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups mushrooms any you like
• 4-5 dried morel mushrooms optional
• ½ cup chicken stock or water
• ¼ cup bourbon
• ¼ cup cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Finely chop the garlic and rosemary then mix it together with 1 tbs olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Rub all over the veal chops and then set them aside for fifteen minutes or so.
3. Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms (if using). Slice the mushrooms. If you are using the dried mushrooms chop these and add them to the mushrooms, reserving the water.
4. Heat 1 tbs oil over medium heat and when it is hot add the chops to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes (or until well browned) then repeat on the other side.
5. Remove the chops from the pan, place them on a baking tray and roast in oven for 10 minutes (for medium rare).
6. Add the mushrooms to your sauté pan and cook over medium high heat until the mushrooms are cooked and have given up their water. Deglaze the pan with the bourbon, add the stock and reduce to about half. Finish the sauce by adding the cream and boiling briefly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Remove chops from the oven and test for doneness. Let rest for two minutes. Serve with the mushrooms and sauce.