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Season 3

French Dip

written by Holly

I love sandwiches. When I was thinking about making a food blog, I was going back and forth between a Gilmore Girls food blog or a sandwich based food blog (There is seriously a lack of sandwich blogs). French dips also happen to be one of my top 5 favorite sandwiches, so I was seriously ready for this recipe.

French Dips can be made so many ways, but my favorite style is with all the usual fixin’s! Provolone, horseradish sauce and grilled onions. So decident, so delicious, I definitely wouldn’t skip it before four Thanksgivings either.

I did grilled onions for this recipe as opposed to full on caramelized onions (which in my opinion, are superior) mainly due to time. Caramelized onions can take close to an hour to make and I get a little impatient when I’m making this sandwich!

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French Dip Recipe

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Servings: 2 People

Ingredients

Horseradish Sauce

½ Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbl Prepared horseradish
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp White vinegar
⅛ Tsp Salt

Au Jus

1 Can (14.5oz) Beef Broth
1 Tbl Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbl Flour

Sandwich

2 Loaves Sandwich bread (I used French bread, any hoagie type sandwich bread will do)
½ pound Roast beef
4 Slices Provolone cheese
½ Yellow or Brown onion If your onion is small, use the whole thing
1 Tbl Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic

Instructions

For the horseradish sauce

Mix together mayo, prepared horseradish, sugar, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Let it chill in the fridge while you make the rest of the sandwich.

For the sauteed onions

Cut onion in half and then slice into half moon shapes. Dice garlic.
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a pan over medium heat
When oil is shimmering, add onions to the pan and a dash of salt. Cook onions over medium for 5 minutes, stirring the onions about every minute.
After 5 minutes, lower your heat to medium-low. Keep stirring the onions every minute or so, so they don't get too crispy on one side. Cook until onions are a light tan color and very soft (about 15-20 minutes). A few minutes before you take the onions off the heat, toss in the diced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Set onions and garlic aside.

For the au jus

After the onions are done cooking and out of the pan, whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour and 1/4 cup of beef broth. Make sure to whisk out all the lumps.
Pour remaining can of beef broth into the pan and add 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

Building the sandwiches

While the au jus is cooking, lightly toast the bread.
When the au jus is done cooking, add the roast beef and cook in the au jus for 3-5 minutes. (I typically just cook it until the pink is gone, some people like for it to soak longer)
Place the bread on a aluminum covered sheet pan. To one side of the bread, place the au jus cooked roast beef, then the caramelized onions and then the provolone cheese (I typically use two sliced per sandwich).
Place sheet pan in the oven and broil. You will need to watch your sandwiches while they broil because they can burn very easily this way (I have a broiler setting for 500 degrees F. I use that one because it's not as intense). When the cheese is melted and the bread is a deep golden brown, the sandwich is done cooking.
To the top of the sandwich, spread the horseradish sauce.
Pour au jus into bowls for dipping and ENJOY!

November 22, 2019 0 comment

Season 3

Triple Chocolate Brownie

written by Holly

These “mistake” brownies Luke gives to Lorelai, are such a quintessential Gilmore girl food to me. It’s something so rich and extra that would make most people die a little inside, and they’ll totally eat it with glee.

These are made a little differently than Luke’s (thankfully!). He tells Lorelai that he accidentally dropped triple the amount of cocoa powder into the batter. Eating that would be…difficult, so I decided to keep the triple chocolate idea, but incorporate it a little differently. The brownies in this recipe have dark melted chocolate and cocoa powder in the batter, along with some semi-sweet chocolate chips.

These are super delicious and I must warn you, VERY rich. The inside stays pretty soft and one piece is definitely more than enough to satisfy any chocolate craving you have. Seriously some of the best brownies I’ve made in a long time.

This is also my first recipe featuring measurements in weight! I’ve been meaning to do that for my recipes (especially baking ones), and I finally got off my butt and did it. I’ll also have the measurements in cups, but doing it by weight will give you a more accurate recipe.

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Triple Chocolate Brownie Recipe

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Servings: 9 Brownies

Equipment

8×8 baking pan
Hand mixer

Ingredients

115 grams (1 b ar) Dark chocolate bar (something between 60-70% cacao, I used a 66% bar)
115 grams (1 stick) Unsalted butter
85 grams (about 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon) All purpose flour
40 grams (about 1/4 cup) Cocoa powder
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Eggs
250 grams (about 1 and 1/4 cup) Granulated sugar
100 grams (about 1/2 cup) Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Instant coffee powder
1 tsp Warm water

Instructions

Fill a pot about half way with water and put on a medium/low stove.
While the water is heating up, cut the butter into cubes and coarsely chop the chocolate bar. Put both in a glass bowl and set the glass bowl over the pot with water. Stir the butter and chocolate until fully melted and shiny. Turn off stove and take glass bowl off of the pot. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take your 8×8 baking pan and place parchment paper on the bottom and sides for easy brownie removal. Set aside.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together in a bowl so there are no clumps. Set aside.
In a large bowl, break in 3 eggs and add all of the granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer on high, mix the eggs and sugar. The mixture will become more pale and almost double in size. Mix for about 3-5 minutes or until the mixture leaves a trail off the beaters for two seconds.
Gently fold in the cooled chocolate bar/butter mixture with a spatula until fully incorporated. Be sure to be gentle when folding in so you don't knock the air out of the mixture. I usually do a figure 8 motion.
After the chocolate mixture is incorporated, fold in the flour/cocoa powder mixture till completely mixed together, still being gentle. The mixture should now look fudgy.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Mix the 1 tsp of instant coffee with the 1 tsp of warm water. Pour mixture into batter.
Pour in 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Fold the coffee and and vanilla into the batter.
Pour the batter into your parchment lined 8×8 baking pan. Making sure the batter is spread out to all the corners and is an even height.
Bake in your preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes (turning halfway through). I usually check the batter at around 30-35 minutes. If the center still jiggles, it needs more time. I stick a tooth pick in the middle for a final check. If it comes out mostly clean, you're good to go!
Let the brownies sit in the pan until it is completely cooled. Cut and enjoy!

November 19, 2019 0 comment

Season 3

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich

written by Holly

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE RECIPE!

Seen in Season 3 Episode 6: Take the Deviled Eggs… and Season 3 Episode 13: Dear Richard and Emily

Confession. I’ve never heard of a pepper sandwich outside the world of Gilmore Girls. I mean, obviously it’s a thing, but is a regional thing? Do people not like to eat it a lot? AM I WEIRD?! I always sounded good when Lorelai mentioned it, I just never got off my butt and tried to make one, until now!

Like most sandwiches, a pepper sandwich can be whatever you want it to be. I tried a couple options. Different cheeses, breads, even different red pepper types. The cheese, doesn’t matter as much. I prefer a creamy white cheese as it balances the slight tang from the red pepper. The bread is a little more important. The roasted peppers are wet, so you want a bread that can toast well and hold up to the wetness of the peppers. Ciabatta is a nice choice for this. The most important bit is the peppers. Poking online, I saw someone yell, “DON’T USE JARRED ROASTED RED PEPPERS!! JUST, NO!” I admit that it made me want to try the jarred peppers because they were so serious about it. Alas, they were right, jarred roasted red peppers are nothing compared to fresh ones. Take the time people!

I also originally wanted to use jarred peppers because I had a hard time envisioning Lorelai roasting peppers for 30 minutes, but I just decided that the maid made it for her and it was all good, ha!

Print Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time50 mins

Servings: 2 Sandwiches

Ingredients

2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 Teaspoon Lime Juice
6 Slices Mozzarella
Mixed Greens
Salt and Pepper
4 Slices Sturdy Bread (would suggest Ciabatta)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 C)
Once oven is preheated, place the red bell peppers on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. I like to flip my peppers halfway through. Your peppers will char a bit
While the peppers are in the oven, finely chop the garlic
Mix the mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside or in the fridge. (This can also be made the night before for a more deeper flavor)
When peppers are done, take them out of the oven and cover with tin foil for about 30 minutes to give them a nice steam
After 30 minutes, peel the skin off the peppers and discard
Cut the stem off the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs from the inside
Cut your red bell pepper into 1-2 inch strips
Set oven to 400 degrees F (205 C)
Begin constructing your sandwich. Spread the garlic mayo on one or both pieces of bread. On your bottom slice, add as many red bell peppers as desired. On the top slice, place the mozzarella cheese (I used 3 slices slightly overlapping each other)
Put your bread pieces open faced on a cookie sheet and place in the oven
The doneness of the sandwich depends on your preferences. I did about 10 minutes in the oven and kept a very watchful eye on it and I would recommend you do that same. Bread can go from nice and toasty to burnt very quickly. The red peppers will attempt to make the bread a little soggy, so be sure to check on that piece when you’re toasting.
Add some mixed greens and voila!

November 30, 2018 0 comment