- Lemon Rice

LEMON RICE

¾ c celery, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
⅓ c butter
1½ c basmati rice
2½ c water
½ tsp salt
pepper
¼ c lemon juice
1 T lemon rind
¼ to ½ c chopped parsley
dill, tarragon, thyme, lemon thyme (optional)

Sauté celery, onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add rice and cook briefly, stirring. Add water and salt and cook until rice is just done. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

- Maple Nut Pear Scones

Maple Nut Pear Scones

Scones:

3 c flour
⅓ c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¾ c cold butter
¾ buttermilk, light or heavy cream
1 tsp pure maple extract
1 c peeled and diced pears (about 1 ½ pears)
½ c chopped pecans or walnuts
½ T sugar for topping

Maple Pear Butter:

1 large very ripe pear, peeled, cored and mashed
¼ c soft butter
1½ T maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400°

To prepare butter: in a small saucepan, simmer mashed pear over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until liquid has evaporated (pear will begin to stick to pan at this point). Let cool slightly and stir in butter and maple syrup. Let stand at room temperature to thicken (butter can be prepared ahead and stored in fridge).

To prepare scones: combine first six dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Grate butter into the dry mixture. Stir in the buttermilk, maple extract, pears and pecans. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured board and knead several times until dough is smooth. Press into a 10-inch circle and using a sharp knife cut into 10 wedges. Place wedges 1-inches apart on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with ½ T sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter.

Notes:

1. Some time ago I came across a recipe that required you to grate butter. This was a fabulous tip and I always grate butter for pie crusts, biscuits and scones.

- Banana Crepe Cake

Banana Crepe Cake

Crepes:

4 T butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing pan
1 large ripe banana (should yield about ½ cup pureed)
1c milk
¾ c flour
4 large eggs
2 T light brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp table salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, well-softened
1½ c plain Greek Yogurt
⅓ c white sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Butterscotch Topping
(¼ recipe under Sauces & Dips)

Crepe Batter:

Blend banana in a food processor or use a hand blender (as I did), blending until totally smooth. Add melted butter, blend again. Add remaining ingredients and blend until they are all combined. Transfer batter, which will look pretty thin, to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour, preferably overnight, and up to 2 days. When you remove the batter stir to re-distribute.

Heat a medium skillet or crepe pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, brush pan thinly with melted butter (a silicone pastry brush works great). Pour about ¼ c batter into the skillet, swirling it until it evenly coats the bottom and cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is golden and the top is set, about 2 – 3 minutes. Flip the crepe and cook for another 30 seconds on the other side, before transferring to a plate to cool. Repeat until the batter is used up, stacking the crepes on top of each other (they won’t stick). You should get about 11-12 crepes. Cool completely.

Filling:

Whip cream cheese until fluffy, then beat in yogurt, ½ c at a time. When fully combined, add sugar and vanilla, beating until rich about fluffy for about another minute.

Assembly:

Lay first crepe on a cake plate or serving platter. Spread with ½ c of the yogurt-cream cheese filling. Repeat with all but the last remaining crepe, which should be stacked but have no filling on top as it is the lid.

Top with cooled Butterscotch Topping (recipe is under sauces).

Notes:

1. I read the recipe before I made it but somehow forgot (as I often do) the part about chilling the crepe batter – I forged ahead and they turned out great.
2. The original recipe (which is ¼ of the amounts in my posted Butterscotch Sauce is) calls for you to top the entire crepe with the cooled Butterscotch Topping. I made the topping and served it warm over the cooled crepe cake and then sprinkled the nuts over the top. It is for that reason that I increased the amount. In fact I could have poured the sauce in a glass and drank it – it is that good!

- Butterscotch Topping

Butterscotch Topping

2 c whipping cream
1 c packed dark brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp flaky sea salt, or to taste
2 c chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

Combine the cream, brown sugar and butter in the bottom of a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more frequently as it reduces and thickens. You’ll know it’s done when it becomes thick and smells toasty. Stir in the vanilla and salt, then the nuts (if using).