Brookside Farm

1lb. ground beef
1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, divided
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon steak seasoning (like Montreal)
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup cognac (or dark beer)
1 8 oz pkg sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups beef broth
1 (1.2 oz) packet brown gravy mix
Cooked rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles for serving


In large bowl, combine beef, 1/4 can mushroom soup, bread crumbs, egg, onions, and steak seasoning.  Mix thoroughly and shape into oval shaped patties.  Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown patties on both sides and transfer to a plate.  Add remaining butter and cognac (remove pan from heat when adding cognac).  Saute mushrooms for 7-8 minutes.  Add beef broth and gravy mix until smooth.  Stir in remaining mushroom soup.  Return patties to skillet and spoon gravy over top.  Cover pan and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles.


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1 red onion, very thinly sliced
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 4 to 6 oz. hanger steak, split and trimmed
2 crusty sandwich rolls, split, buttered and toasted
4 oz. Roth Kase Horseradish Havarti Cheese, sliced

Saute onions slowly in oil until lightly browned.  When caramelized, turn heat to high, season with salt & pepper and add vinegar.  Cook until vinegar is almost evaporated.  Set onions aside; keep warm.  Rub hanger steak with oil, salt & pepper.  Grill or saute until medium rare.  Let steak rest for 5-7 minutes.  Slice across the grain into 1/4 inch slices.  Place steak slices on the toasted roll; top with onions and cheese.  Place sandwich in a hot oven for 3-4 minutes.  Serve hot.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt & pepper
2 cups dry red wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 pkgs (10 oz each) mushrooms, cut in half
1 bag (16 oz) frozen peas


In 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high until hot.  Pat beef dry with paper towels.  Add beef, in 2 batches, and cook 5 to 6 minutes per batch or until well browned on all sides.  With slotted spoon, transfer beef to medium bowl.  Preheat oven to 325.  To drippings in Dutch oven, add carrots, garlic, and onion and cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are browned and tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in flour, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring.  Add wine and heat to boiling, stirring until browned bits are loosened from bottom of Dutch oven.  Return meat and any meat juices in bowl to Dutch oven.  Add thyme and mushrooms; heat to boiling.  Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours or until meat is fork tender, stirring once.  Discard thyme sprigs.  Just before stew is done stir in peas.

2 tsp. olive oil
4 beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed
salt & pepper
1 oz. Roquefort cheese, crumbled (1/4 cup)


In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on high until hot.  On waxed paper, evenly season steaks, on both sides, with salt & pepper.  Add steaks to skillet and cook 10 minutes for medium-rare or until desired doneness, turning once.  Transfer steaks to 4 dinner plates; top with Roquefort.

1 boneless (4lb) brisketend of a breast of veal, deboned
1 tbsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
10 oz. pancetta cooked until lightly browned, not crisp (reserve 2 tbsp fat)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp garlic
1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary, plush 2 whole sprigs
2 tsp Essence (recipe follows)
1 lemon. zested
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock


Lightly pound or butterfly the breast of veal until it measures roughly 15 x 13 inches.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  In mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, pancetta, parmesan, olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, garlic, minced rosemary, Essence, zest and stir until the mixture resembles wet sand.  Spread the mixture evenly over the veal to the edges.  Carefully roll the meat lengthwise and tie every 1 1/2 inches with kitchen twine.  Reserve any bread crumb mixture that falls out as you are tying it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the reserved fat and when very hot brown the roast on all sides.  Remove the veal from the pan and add the onions and carrots and cook until sightly carmalized.  Add the white wine, chicken stock and remaining 3 tbsp lemon juice, rosemary sprigs, salt & pepper.  Return veal to the pan.  Add any reserved bread crumb mixture.  When liquid comes to a boil, cover the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven.  Cook, turning occasionally for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the veal is very tender. 

Remove from the oven and transfer the roast to a platter.  Cover loosely with foil and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes before removing twine.  Slice to 1/2 inch slices.  Serve with the braising liquid.

Essence Seasoning:
Combine the following and mix thoroughly.  2 1/2 tbsp. paprike, 2 tbsp. each salt and garlic powder, 1 tbsp. each pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano & dried thyme.

1lb, 2oz ground veal
1/2 cup cooked ham, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
all-purpose flour for dusting
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
salt & pepper

Combine the veal, ham, eggs and nutmeg in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Shape the mixture into an ovoid and dust with flour.  Heat the butter and oil in a pan, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.  Add the meatloaf and cook, turning carefully, until browned on all sides.  Mix the tomato paste with 2 tablespoons warm water and stir into the pan.  Cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour.  Remove the meatloaf from the pan, cut into fairly thick slices, place them on a warm serving dish and spoon the cooking juices over them.

1 (3 1/2 lbs) chicken
3 lemons
2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 tbsp. olive oil or softened butter
Kosher salt & pepper


Preheat oven to 450.  Place chicken, breast side up, on rack in small roasting pan.  From 1 lemon, grate 1 tsp. peel.  Place peel in small bowl, stir in chives, tarragon, and oil.  With fingertips, gently separate skin from meat on chicken breast.  Rub herb mixture on meat under skin.  Cut all lemons into quarters.  Place quarters from grated lemon inside chicken cavity; reserve remaining lemon quarters.  Tie legs together with string.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Roast chicken 30 minutes.  Add reserved lemon quarters to pan, tossing with juices.  Roast chicken 30 minutes longer or until juices run clear (175 degrees in thickest part of thigh).

When chicken is done, lift from roasting pan and tilt slightly to allow juices inside cavity to run into roasting pan.  Place chicken on platter.  With slotted spoon, transfer lemon wedged to platter with chicken.  Let chicken stand 10 minutes to allow juices to set for easier carving.  Serve chicken with roasted lemon wedges and pan juices.

1 cup water
6 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 qt. light vanilla ice cream


Preheat oven to 400.  Grease and flour large cookie sheet.  In 3 qt. saucepan, heat water, butter and salt to boiling on medium until butter melts.  Remove saucepan from heat.  Vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms ball and comes away from side of pan.  Add eggs, one at at time, beating well after each addition, until batter becomes smooth and satiny.

Drop batter by scant 1/4 cups into 10 large mounds, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.  With fingertip moistened with water, gently smooth tops to round.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until puffs are a deep golden-brown.  Remove cookie sheet from oven; with knife, poke hole in one side of each puff to release steam.  Turn off oven.  Return cookie sheet to oven and let puffs stand 10 minutes to dry out slightly.  Transfer puffs to wire rack to cool completely.

Using serrated knife, slice each fooled puff horizontally in half.  With fingers, remove and discard any moist dough inside.  Meanwhile, coarsely chop chocolate.  In 1 qt. saucepan, heat half-and-half and sugar just to boiling on medium-high.  Remove saucepan from heat; add chocolate and let stand 1 minute.  Whisk until smooth. 

To serve, place 1 scoop of ice cream in each cream puff base; replace cream puff top, then drizzle with warm chocolate sauce.

1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cold water
2 large eggs, separated
3 cups low fat milk (1%)
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat 4 quart sauce pan of water to boiling on high to use for water bath later.  In 2 qt saucepan, heat 2/3 cup sugar with cold water on medium until melted and a light caramel color, swirling pan occasionally.  Immediately pour caramel into 8 6oz custard cups.  In large bowl, with wire whisk, beat eggs and remaining 1/3 cup sugar until well blended.  Beat in milk and vanilla.  Pour custard mixture into custard cups.

Place cups in large roasting pan; pour boiling water in pan until it comes halfway up sides of cups.  Bake 40 minutes or until center of custard is just set.  Remove custard cups from water; cool on wire rack.  Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or until well chilled. 

To serve, with small spatula, carefully loosen custard from sides of cups.  Invert each creme caramel onto dessert plate, tapping cup to help release custard.  Leave inverted cup on plate for several minutes to allow caramel syrup to drip from cup onto custard.

1 whole roaster chicken
1 bottle teriyakii sauce
1 large can diced pineapple, with juice

Put chicken in crock pot.  Add teriyaki sauce & pineapple.  Cook on high 4 hours (6-8 if chicken is still frozen). Serve over rice or egg noodles.  Might want to flip the chicken half way through so the entire bird gets to soak in the juices!