Chef Academy Au Gratin

Now that Top Chef has ended, I need a new food show for inspiration and I have been trying to get into Chef Academy. This au gratin dish intriqued me because they added curry as well as nutmeg. It was yum!!! (They haven't posted their recipe on line but I could tell it was a traditional gratin with the added spices.)

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 lb baking potatoes (about 6 large), peeled and sliced in 1/8 inch thick rounds --I use a mandolin.

6 oz. Gruyere or Swiss cheese, finely shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp. of curry

1 tbsp. of nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Layer half the potatoes evenly over bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese, garlic, spices and salt; drizzle with half the cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. Bake uncovered 1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender when pierced and top is brown and crisp. Notes: Notes: Planning Tip: May be baked up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate covered with foil.

Currried Apple Couscous

Curried Apple Couscous Recipe
I was hanging out with amazing friend Marya this weekend and since she is vegetarian, I had some fun experimenting with a few meatless recipes. This couscous was really good. I found it on one of my favorite sites, 101 cookbooks.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 medium apple, cored and chopped
3 green onions, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
1 cup whole wheat couscous (or regular)1 3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup pine nuts or cashews, toasted
Small handful of mint, chopped

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat add 3 tablespoons of the butter, the curry powder, and a couple generous pinches of salt, and cook for a minute or until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the chopped apples and cook for about 3 minutes, enough time for the apples to soften up a bit and absorb some of the curry. Scoop the apples from the pan and set aside in a separate bowl.
In the same pan, again over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir in the green onions, let them soften up a bit and then add the water (or Better than Boullion -- for added flavor) and salt. Bring to a boil, stir in the couscous, cover and remove from heat. Steam for 5 to 10 minutes and then use a fork to fluff up the couscous. Stir in the apples, pine nuts, and chopped mint. Season with more salt and curry powder to taste