- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Yield 8-10 biscuits.

2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
¼ tsp baking soda
1 T baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
6 T unsalted (very cold) butter
¾ c buttermilk (see note)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal (@ 6 pulses). Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined (do not overmix). Turn the dough onto a floured board. Gently pat (do not use a rolling bin) the dough out until it is about ½” thick. Use a round cutter to cut out biscuits. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet with the biscuits touching each other (see note).

Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

Note:

1. This is the original recipe which said to add more buttermilk if required
and I used at least ½ c more.
2. The recipe notes say that it is really important not to overwork the dough.
3. Apparently the biscuits rise more if they are touching (?).
4. These are the best (plain) biscuits that I have ever tasted.

- Tomato Bocconcini Pesto Panini

TOMATO, BOCCONCINI & PESTO PANINI


Yield: 6 sandwiches

2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes
¾ lb fresh bocconcini
12 slices of your favorite bakery bread, sliced about ½ or ¾ inch thick
1 c pesto (see previous post)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Butter, at room temperature

Preheat your Panini grill.

Core the tomatoes and slice both the tomatoes and the cheese about ¼ inch thick.

Place the bread slices on a work surface. Spread each slice evenly with pesto. Place a layer of cheese (about 2 slices) on half of the bread and cover with a layer of tomato. Sprinkle the tomato with salt and pepper. Place the remaining slices of bread, pesto side down, on top. Spread the top and bottom of each sandwich with softened butter. Grill the sandwiches in batches on the Panini grill for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese starts to ooze. Cut each sandwich in half and serve warm.

- Pesto

PESTO


¼ c pecans
¼ c pine nuts
3 T diced garlic
5 c fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1½ c good olive oil
1 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place both nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil, salt & pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is puréed. Add the Parmesan and purée for a minute. Use immediately or store the pesto in the fridge or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes:

1. The original recipe called for walnuts, which I do not like, so I substituted the pecans. If you like walnuts I am sure they would be great.

- Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers

WHOLE WHEAT GOLDFISH CRACKERS

Yield: About 100 tiny crackers
1½ c coarsely grated sharp cheddar
4 T butter
½ c whole wheat flour
¼ c all-purpose flour
⅛ tsp onion powder
⅛ to ¼ tsp table salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, running the machine until the dough forms a ball, about two minutes.

If the dough feels warm or soft, wrap it in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes. This also makes it easier to transfer shapes once they are rolled out.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. Form shapes with a cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased cookie sheet with a 1/2 inch between them. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

- Gluten-Free Muffins

GLUTEN-FREE MUFFINS

Yield: 12 large muffins

3 bananas
2 eggs
½ c raw sugar
½ c creamy peanut butter
1¾ c white rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 c butter (melted)
½ c buttermilk
¾ c chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix first 4 ingredients in a food processor. Blend for 1 minute. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. When thoroughly mixed, add to food processor, along with the butter and milk. Blend well. Add the chocolate chips and press "pulse" once or twice. Ladle the batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners, filling each liner to the top. Bake for about 16 minutes, or until the muffins are firm to the touch. Top with drizzled chocolate if desired. Cool and serve.

Notes:
1. I made these today for some ladies who are on a gluten-free diet and they said that they were really good.
2. Don’t be afraid to fill the muffin liners to the top, these don’t rise as much as other muffins made with flour.
3. If dairy products are a problem, use ½ cup rice milk mixed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice in place of the buttermilk.

- Chunky Banana Bran Muffins

CHUNKY BANANA BRAN MUFFINS

Makes 24 muffins

2 c natural wheat bran
2 c buttermilk, shaken
½ c unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ c brown sugar, lightly packed
4 extra large eggs, at room temperature
¾ c unsulfured molasses
2 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 c all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 c raisins
2 c large-diced banana (2 bananas)
1 c chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°.
Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray with Pam.

Combine the bran and buttermilk and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on a high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl and then add the molasses, orange zest and vanilla (the mixture will look curdled). Add the bran-buttermilk mixture and combine.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking power, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the batter and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix! Fold in the raisins, bananas and walnuts with a rubber spatula.

Scoop batter into muffin tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Notes:

1. I just made these tonight and they are yummy.
2. I used half raisins and half dried cranberries which worked well.

- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
& CURRY CONDIMENTS


3 to 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 yellow onions
2 McIntosh apples, peeled and cored
3 T olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 c chicken stock
½ tsp good curry powder

Condiments (see note)
Green onions (sliced on the diagonal)
Flakes sweet coconut, lightly toasted (350° for 5-10 minutes)
Chopped, roasted (salted) cashews
Diced banana

Preheat oven to 425°.

Cut the butternut squash, onions and apples into 1 inch cubes. Place them on a sheet pan and toss them with the olive oil, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Make sure that the squash is in a single layer (if you have too much use 2 pans). Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, tossing occasionally, until very tender.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock to a simmer. When the vegetables are done, put them through a sieve or use an immersion blender (or a blender). Add some of the stock and coarsely purée. When all of the vegetables are processed, place them in a large pot and add enough chicken stock to make a thick soup. Add the curry powder, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Taste for seasonings to be sure there’s enough salt and pepper to bring out the curry flavor. Reheat and serve hot with condiments either on the side or on top of each serving.

Note:

1. This is the quickest and easiest soup ever and it is yummy.
2. I heated the chicken stock in the pot, added the roasted veggies and used
an immersion blender.
3. I did not use any condiments and I loved this soup.
4. One bowl is really filling.

- Rum Raisin Rice Pudding

RUM RAISIN RICE PUDDING


Serves 6 – 8

¾ c raisins
2 T dark rum
¾ c white basmati rice
½ tsp kosher salt
5 c half-and-half, divided
½ c sugar
1 extra large egg, beaten
1½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine the raisins and rum. Set aside.

Combine the rice and salt with 1½ cups water in a medium heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir once, and simmer, covered, on the lowest heat for 8 to 9 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed (if you stove is very hot, pull the pan halfway off the burner).

Stir in 4 cups of half-and-half and the sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, until the rice is very soft. Stir often, particularly toward the end. Slowly stir in the beaten egg and continue to cook for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the remaining cup of half-and-half, the vanilla, cinnamon, and the raisins with any remaining rum. Stir well. Pour into a bowl, and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Serve warm or chilled.

Notes:

1. I added the cinnamon to the recipe because I like the flavor in rice pudding.
2. Once made I put the rice pudding in the oven for about 20 minutes to keep warm.
3. The rice pudding thickens as it cools. If you take if from the fridge you can add extra cream or milk to thin it out.

- Baked Potato Soup

BAKED POTATO SOUP

Serves 6
1 head garlic (roasted)
1 large clove of garlic (minced)
Olive oil
3 T unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed, and chopped small
6 c chicken or vegetable broth (I used 5 cups and then added the extra cup after pureeing)
2 bay leaves
¾ tsp salt
2½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
⅓ c sour cream
Ground black pepper
Toppings (optional):
Minced fresh chives or scallions
Bacon bits
Sour cream
Grated cheddar

Rinse the head of garlic to remove any outside grit or dirt. Cut the top third off the head and peel any loose papery skins off the bottom two-thirds. Place the head in a piece of tinfoil and drizzle olive oil over the exposed part. Wrap the foil around the whole head and bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until the head is soft. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and mash.

In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook them until soft (but not brown), about 5 minutes. Add the minced clove of garlic and cook another minute. Add the broth, bay leaves and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Add the potatoes and continue to simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the mashed garlic.

Discard bay leaves. Add sour cream to soup and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Using immersion blender, process soup until chunky-creamy, leaving lots of potato texture intact. (Alternatively, transfer a portion of the potatoes and broth to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.) Serve with whatever makes you happy on top, or nothing at all.

Notes:
1. The name of the recipe is implies that you bake the potatoes first but rather, you make the soup and top it as you would a baked potato.

- Mini Banana Muffins

MINI BANANA MUFFINS
(great for kids)


3 bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
1½ c whole wheat flour
⅓ c melted unsalted butter

Mash the bananas (thawed bananas work also) and add the cinnamon and egg to the mash. In a separate bowl mix together the soda, baking powder, sea salt and flour. Add the dry mixture to the mash and then add the melted butter until it is just incorporated.

Spray a 24 mini muffin tin (or 2 x 12 tins) with Pam. Add the mixture to the tins and bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

Notes:

1. My 1 year old granddaughter loves these.
2. If using 2 x 12 tins bake them separately.

- Crescent Jam and Cheese Cookies

CRESCENT JAM AND CHEESE COOKIES

Makes about 30 cookies
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c ricotta cheese
2 T sour cream
¼ tsp vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling cookies out
¼ tsp salt
Jam or preserves (I used seedless raspberry)
Milk, for brushing cookies
Icing sugar, for dusting

Cream butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the ricotta cheese and combine. Add the sour cream and vanilla and combine the mixture well. Whisk or sift together flour and salt in a separate bowl and gradually blend it into the cheese mixture. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Roll one-quarter of the dough out very thinly on a lightly floured surface and chill the remaining dough until it is to be used. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares and put about ½ tsp jam or preserves in the center of each. Fold the dough in half on the diagonal, pressing firmly down to seal the two sides around the jam. Roll the triangle into crescents, starting at the wide end. Arrange crescents on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart, brush them lightly with milk and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and dust them with powdered sugar.

Notes:

1. Yum!

- Sauteed Mushrooms with Spinach

SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS WITH SPINACH


3 T butter
1 lb button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
½ c sherry, Marsala, Madeira or port (see note)
Salt & pepper
4 handfuls of baby spinach

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter. When it begins to foam, add mushrooms and onions and sauté until they begin to carmelize.

Deglaze the pan with sherry, season with salt & pepper and cook down, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

When the sherry has reduced, add spinach and stir until it has wilted. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately.

Serves 4


Notes:

1. I substituted the liquor with balsamic vinegar (about ¼ c) because there were children being served and notwithstanding that I always thought that cooking actually “cooked” out the alcohol, it doesn’t.
2. Nice, easy side dish.

- Tiramisu

TIRAMISU

Yield: 8 Servings

4 eggs, separated
¾ c sugar
2 - 8 oz containers of mascarpone cheese
½ c coffee [½ c water & 1 tsp instant coffee)
¼ c Kahlua
2 pkg lady fingers
1 c finely grated Toblerone bar

In bowl of a stand mixer, beat yolks adding sugar gradually until well mixed, (no gritty feeling is left). Add cheese and mix well. Beat egg whites in deep bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture.

Mix the coffee and Kahlua in a small bowl.

Using a large (12 c) serving dish (I use a glass trifle bowl) spread ¼ of cheese mixture on the bottom. Dip the lady fingers in the coffee/Kahlua mixture and cover the cheese layer. Sprinkle the grated Toblerone over the cheese layer and repeat layers until all of the mixture is used up.

Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.

Notes:
(i) Because I use a trifle bowl I use extra lady fingers and coffee/Kahlua mixture and I space the lady fingers (about ½ inch apart) around the sides of the bowl which makes for a nice presentation.

- Stuffed Chicken Breasts

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 T vegetable oil
10 ox white mushrooms, trimmed, wiped clean and sliced thin
1 small leek, white part halved lengthwise, washed and chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 T fresh lemon juice
½ c dry white wine
1 T chopped fresh parsley leaves
salt & pepper
1 c chicken broth
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 T unsalted butter

Chicken:

Use tip of share chef’s knife to cut each breast horizontally, starting at thinnest end and stopping knife tip ½ inch away from edge so that halves remain attached. Open up breasts to create 4 cutlets. Place 1 cutlet at a time in a heavy-duty zipper-lock bag and pound to1/4 inch thickness (approx 8 x 6 in). Trim about ½ inch from long sides of cutlets (about 1½ to 2 oz of meat per cutlet or a total of ½ c from all cutlets) to form rectangles that measure about 8 x 5 inches. Process all trimmings in food processor until smooth, about 20 seconds. Transfer puree to medium bowl and set aside (do not wash out food processor bowl).

Stuffing:

Heat 1 T oil in 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until all moisture has evaporated and mushrooms are golden brown, 8 to 11 minutes. Add 1 T oil and leek; continue to cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to bowl of food processor. Return pan to heat; add wine and scrape pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Transfer wine to small bowl and set aside. Rinse and dry skillet.

Pulse mushroom mixture in food processor until roughly chopped, about five 1 second pulses. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl with pureed chicken. Add 1½ tsp parsley, ¾ tsp table salt and ½ tsp pepper. Using rubber spatula, fold together stuffing ingredients until well combined (you should have about 1½ c stuffing).

Assembly and cooking:

With thinnest ends of cutlets pointing away from you, spread one-quarter of stuffing evenly over each cutlet with rubber spatula, leaving ¾ inch border along short sides of cutlet and ¼ inch border along long sides. Roll each breast up as tightly as possible without squeezing out filling and place seam-side down. Evenly space 3 pieces of twine (each out 12 inches long) beneath each breast and tie, trimming any excess.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken bundles and brown on 4 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add broth and reserved wine to pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160° when inserted into thickest part of chicken, 12 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board and ten loosely with foil.

Sauce:

While chicken rests, whisk mustard into cooking liquid. Increase heat to high and simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits, until dark brown and reduced to ½ cup, 7 to 10 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and remaining 1½ tsp parsley and 1½ tsp lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Remove twine and cut each chicken bundle on bias into 6 medallions. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Serves 4.

- Vegetable Gratin

VEGETABLE GRATIN


6 T olive oil
1 lb zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices
1 lb yellow summer squash (see note), cut like the zucchini
2 tsp table salt
1½ lb ripe tomatoes (3 to 4 large), sliced ¼ inch thick
2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and sliced thin pole to pole (about 3 c)
¾ tsp ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp)
1 T minced fresh thyme leaves
1 large slice white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium shallots, minced (about ¼ c)
1/4 c chopped fresh basil leaves

Serves 6 as a side dish

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400°. Brush a 13 x 9 baking dish with 1 T of oil and set aside.

Toss zucchini and summer squash slices with 1 tsp salt in a large bowl; transfer to a colander set over a bowl. Let stand until zucchini and squash release at least 3 T of liquid, about 45 minutes. Arrange slices on a triple layer of paper towels; cover with another triple layer of paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible.

Place tomato slices in a single layer on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle evenly with ½ tsp salt; let stand 30 minutes. Place second double layer of paper towels on top of tomatoes and press firmly to dry tomatoes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 T oil in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, remaining ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and dark golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Set onions aside.

Combine garlic, 3 T oil, remaining ½ tsp pepper and thyme in a small bowl. In large bowl, toss zucchini and summer squash in half of oil mixture, then arrange in greased baking dish. Arrange caramelized onions in even lawyer over squash. Slightly overlap tomato slices in single layer on top of onions. Spoon remaining garlic-oil mixture evenly over tomatoes. Bake until vegetables are tender and tomatoes are starting to brown on edges, 40 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, process bread in food processor until finely ground, about 10 seconds (you should have about 1 cup of crumbs). Combine bread crumbs, remaining tablespoon of oil, Parmesan and shallots in a medium bowl. Remove baking dish from oven and increase heat to 450°. Sprinkle bread-crumb mixture evenly on top of tomatoes. Bake gratin until bubbling and cheese is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:
1. A summer squash is the same shape as a zucchini (I used an acorn squash because I thought it would have a stronger flavour).

- Crispy Smashed Potatoes

CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES


2 lbs red potatoes (2 inches in diameter)
6 T olive oil
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and black pepper

Adjust oven racks to top and bottom positions and heat oven to 500°. Arrange potatoes on rimmed baking sheet, pour ¾ c water onto baking sheet and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Cook on bottom rack until paring knife or skewer slips in and out of potatoes easily (poke through foil to test), 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and cool 10 minutes. If any water remains on baking sheet, blot dry with paper towel.

Drizzle 3 T oil over potatoes and roll to coat. Space potatoes evenly on baking sheet and place second baking sheet on top; press down firmly on baking sheet, flattening potatoes until ⅓ to ½ inch thick. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and season generously with salt and pepper; drizzle evenly with remaining 3 T oil. Roast potatoes on top rack 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to bottom rack and continue to roast until well browned, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

- Caramel Sauce

CARAMEL SAUCE


1c brown sugar
½ c butter
1 tsp vanilla
¼ c whipping cream

Over low heat, melt sugar and butter. Stir in the vanilla and the cream cooking until thick.

Notes:

1. Yum!

- Greek Panzanella

¾ c good olive oil, divided
6 cups (1 inch) diced rustic bread (I used Cob’s White Pane Di Casa)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 English cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced ½ inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and large-diced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and large-diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion, thinly sliced in half rounds
¼ c good red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ tsp dried oregano, crushed
½ tsp Dijon mustard
½ lb good feta (I used my new favorite, Macedonian (very creamy & smooth))diced
½ c Kalamata olives, pitted


Heat ¼ c of the olive oil in a large (12 inch) sauté pan until hot. Add the bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently (note I drizzled more oil during the cooking process), for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Set aside.

Place the cucumber, bell peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl and toss together.

For the vinaigrette, place the vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper in a small bowl and whisk together. Whisking constantly, slowly add the remaining ½ c of olive oil to make an emulsion.

Add the feta, olives, and bread to the vegetables in the bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to develop. Season to taste and serve at room temperature.

Notes:

1. This is my new favorite salad. At first glance it seems like Greek salad with some bread thrown in but the flavors are absolutely amazing.

- Stroganoff Meatballs

STROGANOFF MEATBALLS


Meatballs:
2 lbs lean ground beef
1½ c bread crumbs
¼ c. milk
¼ c onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Sauce:
½ c chopped onion
4 T butter
2 T flour
2 T ketchup
1 can consommé (undiluted)
1 c sour cream

Meatballs
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix well and roll into balls of desired size. Place on edged cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, drain and set aside.

Sauce:
Brown onion in butter, add flour, mix well. Add ketchup and consommé, cooking slowly until thickened. Add sour cream, then meatballs. Place in casserole and heat in 300° oven until serving time (no longer than 40 minutes).

Notes:

1. This is a reprint from my cookbook which I thought I'd add because I made it recently and was asked for the recipe.

- Best Blueberry Muffins

BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS


Lemon-Sugar Topping:

⅓ c white sugar
1½ tsp grated lemon zest

Muffins:

2 c fresh or frozen blueberries (see note)
1⅛ c plus 1 tsp white sugar
2½ c all-purpose flour
2½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
2 large eggs
¼ c unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¼ c vegetable oil
1 c buttermilk (see note)
1½ tsp vanilla extract

For the Topping:
Stir together the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl until combined; set aside.

For the Muffins:
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 425°. Spray a 12 muffin tin with Pam. Bring 1 c blueberries and 1 tsp sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Rinse remaining cup of berries under cold water and dry well. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk remaining 1⅛ cups sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Toss dried blueberries in flour mixture. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup of blueberries and flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix).

Divide batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Spoon a teaspoon of cooked blueberry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using a skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using a figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.

Bake until muffin topes are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

1. If using frozen blueberries, cook 1 cup berries as directed. Rinse the remaining cup of berries under cold water and dry well. Toss frozen berries in flour mixture before adding the egg mixture. Do not defrost the berries before using.
2. I didn’t have any buttermilk so I added 1 T of lemon juice to the measuring cup and then added 2% milk to measure 1 cup.
3. This is by far the best blueberry muffin recipe I have ever found. The cooked berries really add lots of flavor and the bottoms are not soggy from the blueberries.

- Chocolate Raspberry Torte

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TORTE


Cake and Filling:

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine
¾ c unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp instant espresso powder
1¾ c sliced almonds, lightly toasted
¼ c unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp table salt
5 large eggs
¾ c sugar
½ c fresh raspberries, plus 16 individual berries for garnishing cake
¼ c seedless raspberry jam

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/5 c plus 1 T whipping cream

Cake:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Spray (with Pam) and line bottom of two 9 inch round cake pans (see note) with parchment paper. Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Stir in vanilla and espresso powder.

Process ¾ c almonds in food processor until coarsely chopped, six to eight 1 second pulses; set aside to garnish cake. Process remaining cup of almonds until very finely ground, about 45 seconds. Add flour and salt and continue to process until combined, about 15 seconds. Transfer almond-flour mixture to medium bowl. Process eggs in now-empty food processor until lightened in color and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. With processor running, slowly add sugar until thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Using whisk, gently fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture until some streaks of egg remain. Sprinkle half almond-flour mixture over chocolate-egg mixture and gently whisk until just combined. Sprinkle in remaining almond-flour mixture and gently whisk until just combined.

Divide batter between cake pans and smooth with rubber spatula. Bake until centre is firm and toothpick inserted into center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer cakes to wire rack and cool completely in pan, about 30 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto cooling rack and remove parchment paper. Using a cardboard round, re-invert 1 cake so top side faces up; slide back onto cooling rack.

Place ½ c raspberries in medium bowl and coarsely mash with fork. Stir in raspberry jam until just combined. Place cooled layer that is top side up on cardboard round and spread raspberry mixture onto that layer. Top with second cake layer, leaving it bottom side up. Transfer assembled cake, still on cardboard round, to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.

Ganache:

Melt chocolate and cream in a medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and gently whisk until very smooth. Remove from heat and gently whisk until very smooth. Pour glaze onto centre of assembled cake. Use offset spatula to spread glaze evenly over top of cake, letting it flow down sides. Spread glaze along sides of cake to coat, evenly.

Using fine-mesh strainer, sift reserved almonds to remove any fine bits. Holding bottom of cake on cardboard round with 1 hand, gently press sifted almonds onto cake sides with other hand. Arrange raspberries around circumference. Refrigerate cake until glaze is set, at lease 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Transfer cake to serving platter, slice and serve.

Notes:

1. I used Callebaut chocolate (from the bulk foods section of my grocery store);
2. I used two 8 inch pans and cooked the cakes for about 5 minutes longer;
3. This is very rich and worth every moment of the preparation.

- Thank You

There have now been over 1000 visits to my blog and I hope that everyone is enjoying the recipes that I have tried and posted!

Cath

- Hamburger Soup

HAMBURGER SOUP


1½ lbs. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 28 oz. can of tomatoes
2 c water
3 cans consommé or beef broth
1 can tomato soup
4 carrots, chopped fine
parsley to taste
½ tsp thyme
pepper to taste
8 T pot barley

Brown the meat and onions. Drain well. Combine all ingredi¬ents in large pot. Simmer covered for at least 2 hours.

Notes:

1. This is a reproduction from my cookbook because I still think it is one of the best and easiest soups.

- Carrot Cake

CARROT CAKE WITH
CREAM CHEESE/WHIPPED CREAM ICING


Cake:

2½ c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp coarse salt
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1½ c unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 c packed brown sugar
½ c white sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ c water
2¾ c grated carrots
2 cups of either chopped pecans or raisins


Icing:

1 c mascarpone (cream) cheese
2 c whipping cream
4 T icing sugar
4 T piping gel
1 tsp clear vanilla

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Butter (2) 8inch cake pans. Spray pans with Pam and line bottoms with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 3 minutes. Add vanilla, water and carrots. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture, then pecans/raising.

Divide batter between the pans. Bake until golden brown about 40 minutes (testing with a cake tester that comes out clean). Let cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan and turn cake out onto racks to cool completely.

Icing:
Combine whipped cream and sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Add gel and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the mascarpone cheese.

Place 1 cake on a plate with the bottom side down, ice the top of that cake and then place the other cake top side down. Ice the rest of the cake and refrigerate until about 45 minutes before you are ready to serve it. Allow iced cake to sit out for that 45 minutes or until you are ready to serve.

Notes:

1. This is a dense carrot cake and combined with this light icing it makes for what I think is a perfect combination.
2. Don’t be scared off by the piping gel and clear vanilla. They can be bought at any store that sells cake decoration supplies and if there is a Michael’s craft store nearby they have them for sure.

- Almost Back

After hosting 2 showers, 5 birthday parties, food for 1 stagette, 3 weddings involving 1 wedding cake and 600 cupcakes I am now ready to post a few new recipes and promise that they will be up within the week!

- Peanut-Curry Chicken in Wonton Cups

PEANUT-CURRY CHICKEN IN WONTON CUPS


12 wonton wrappers
¼ c vegetable oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ c mango chutney (I used Sharwood’s Major Grey)
¼ c plus 2 T plain yogurt
3 T crunchy peanut butter
1 T fresh lime juice
1 tsp curry paste (I used yellow)
½ tsp. curry powder (I used Madras)
Chives chopped into ¼ inch pieces

Preheat oven to 325°.

Place wrappers on cutting surface and brush top with oil. Cut into 4 squares. Using mini muffin tins, place each square, oiled side up, into a muffin cup, pressing into pan to form a cup. Bake until light brown (6-7 minutes). Cool and remove from tins.

In a frying pan, poach chicken in water with a little salt until just cooked through (don’t overcook). Transfer to a paper towel and cool. Dice chicken and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine chutney, yogurt, peanut butter, lime juice, curry paste and curry power. Stir in chicken and check seasoning. Place 1 tsp of filling into each cup and garnish with 2 pieces of chives, crossed over each other.

Yield: 48 bites

Notes:

1. I made this for a shower yesterday and it was a hit. Some people thought it was spicy and some didn’t – depends on what you are used to.
2. The baking time for the wontons is totally dependent on your muffin tins – I have 2 that are dark and one that is light. As with all baking tins, the baking time in the dark tin was less than the light so keep you eye on them. The wontons should be golden all around, not just the corners.

- Ultimate Banana Bread

ULTIMATE BANANA BREAD

1¾ c flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp table salt
5 frozen bananas (defrosted)
1 fresh banana
½ c unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
¾ c packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ c toasted coarsely chopped nuts (optional)
2 tsp white sugar

Adjust oven racks to middle position and preheat oven to 350°. Spray 8½ x 4½ loaf pan with Pam.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

Mash the defrosted bananas and whisk in the butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.

Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in the nuts if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Slice the fresh banana diagonally into ¼ inch thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of the loaf, leaving 1½ inch wide space down the center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle the white sugar evenly over the loaf.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from the pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

1. I have been freezing bananas for years so this recipe is perfect for me. If you have bananas that are overripe (which increases the sugar content exponentially) simply pop them into the freezer for use later.
2. I doubled the recipe and it worked great.
3. I think this is the best recipe I have ever tried, and I have tried a lot!!

- Mushroom Gruyère Bruschetta

MUSHROOM GRUYÈRE BRUSCHETTA


2 T unsalted butter
1 large shallot, finely diced (about ¼ cup)
¼ c fresh thyme
Kosher salt
10 oz mixed mushrooms (shiitake, cremini & oyster), trimmed and thinly sliced
Sixteen slices baquette (cut on the diagonal)
Olive oil
1½ c grated Gruyère cheese

Melt the butter in a large heavy-duty skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and thyme, season with ¼ tsp salt, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the mushrooms and another ½ tsp salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and browned, 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper (makes for much less clean-up). Place the baquette slices on the parchment and drizzle with olive oil. Toast the slices under the broiler until golden (I always set my timer when using the broiler because if I start talking I always forget it). Remove the cookie sheet from the oven.

Mound a heaping tablespoon of the mushrooms on each piece of baquette and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Notes:

1. Although I didn’t try it, the recipe says that you can make the mushroom mixture ahead, cool to room temperature and refrigerate, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before using.
2. I am all about doing as much ahead of time as possible and whenever I know I am going to be using a baguette I always buy it a couple of days ahead, slice it and put it in the freezer – one less thing to do on the day I will need it.

- Spiced Layer Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

SPICED LAYER CAKE WITH ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING


Cake:

2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
2 c white sugar
1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 T grated orange peel
4 large eggs
1 c sour cream
½ c whole milk

Frosting:

2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese
8 T unsalted butter
2 c icing sugar
2 tsp grated orange peel
1 tsp vanilla
⅓ c sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°.

Butter three 9 inch diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Spray pans with Pam (or butter and then sprinkle with flour). Sift first 8 cake ingredients into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and orange peel in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture alternately with sour cream and milk. Divide batter among prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer pans to racks and cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely (can be made 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature).

With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter. Add the icing sugar and then the orange peel and vanilla. Add the sour cream last and refrigerate for ½ hour before frosting the cake.

Place 1 cake layer on a platter. Spread 2/3 c frosting over that layer. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 c frosting over that layer and top with third cake layer. Cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting (you can finish the cake 1 day ahead, cover it with a glass cake dome and store at room temperature.

- Chicken Lettuce Wraps

CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS


Sauce:

¾ c Hoisin sauce
1½ tsp. rice vinegar
1 T liquid honey
2 T water
1 T fresh lime juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger

Wraps:

2 boneless chicken breasts
⅓ c grated carrot
2 green onions, diagonally sliced
1 c dried steam-fried noodles
½ c unsalted peanuts, chopped

1 head iceburg lettuce, separated into whole leaves, core removed

In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, blend sauce ingredients. Set aside to cool. Poach chicken in a small amount of water until no longer pink. Cool. Cut each breast in half horizontally and then dice to about 6 mm. In medium bowl, toss chicken, carrots and green onion with enough sauce to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Add noodles and peanuts, gently toss with more sauce to coat.

To Serve:

Set out lettuce and chicken mixture. Let guests wrap their own. Serve extra sauce on the side.

Notes:

1. Delicious as an appy or a main – I love these and can’t believe I hadn’t posted them before!!!

- Strawberry Brown Butter Bettys

STRAWBERRY BROWN BUTTER BETTYS

Yield: 6

Just under ½ c unsalted butter
1 tsp sugar
6 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
¼ c brown sugar
½ tsp lemon zest, finely grated
1/8 tsp salt
½ c panko crumbs
2 c strawberries, stemmed and sliced

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, reduce heat to medium low. The butter will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is less than a minute. Remove from heat.

Lightly butter muffin cups with some of the brown butter, then sprinkle with the sugar. Roll bread slices with a rolling pin to flatten. Brush both sides with additional brown butter, then gently fit into muffin cups.

Stir together the brown sugar, zest, salt and panko then add the strawberries and toss to coat. Stir in remaining brown butter. Heap strawberry mixture into cups, pressing gently.

Cover pan with foil and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until strawberries are very tender, about 10 minutes or more. Let stand 5 minutes before removed from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

1. This is one of those recipes that I had no faith in but it was actually good. Great way to use the strawberries that dwell in our fridge at this time of year.

- Oven Baked BBQ Back Ribs

OVEN BAKED BBQ BACK RIBS


2 racks of back ribs.

Sauce:
1 c. (250 mL) water
1 c. (250 mL) brown sugar
½ c. (125 mL) vinegar
½ c. (125 mL) ketchup
2 tbsp. (30 mL) soya sauce
2 tbsp. (30 mL) cornstarch

Boil the ribs for 1 hour before roasting (this can be done way ahead and the ribs frozen, the day ahead and refrigerated, or immediately before roasting.

Preheat oven to 325.

Add all the ingredients together in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Spray a shallow roasting pan with Pam (it will save a lot of clean-up because the sauce is sticky). Place a small amount of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place the racks in the pan and cover with sauce. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the tin foil. Using a spoon, re-distribute the sauce over the ribs and roast, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes or longer.

Notes:

1. This recipe doubles and triples really well and they are delicious.

- Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

RAISIN PECAN OATMEAL COOKIES


1½ c pecans
1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c brown sugar, lightly packed
1 c white sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
3 c old-fashioned oatmeal (not the quick cooking or instant)
1½ c raisins

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and roast for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2 inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

Notes:

1. I always make large cookies so if you do too you should be prepared to bake these for around 19 minutes.
2. Do not skip the step of roasting the pecans – it makes a world of difference. I always do a big batch and then keep them in the freezer.

- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


1⅓ c unsalted butter, cold
1½ c light brown sugar, packed
1 c white sugar
2 large eggs, cold
1 T vanilla
3¾ c flour
1¼ tsp table salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars starting on low speed and working your way up to high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes once you reach high speed. Scrape the bowl and beater. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on low until blended. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl and beater.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add this to the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended; the dough will be stiff. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart onto two ungreased baking sheets. Bake until the bottoms are golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes (see note). Remove sheets from the oven and immediately remove cookies to a rack to cool.

Notes:

1. The baking time is from the original recipe but I make bigger cookies and that increases the baking time (mine took around 19 minutes).

2. I am always trying new chocolate chip cookie recipes (see my previous posts) and in terms of simple ingredients and method, these are right up there with the best!

- Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

BANANA CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING


Cupcakes:

1¼ c flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 very ripe bananas, peeled
½ c sour cream
1½ tsp vanilla
¾ c white sugar
½ c unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk

Frosting:

1½ c icing sugar
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
½ c unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ c smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)

For cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl to blend. In another medium bowl, mash bananas with a fork until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until blended after each addition. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cook completely.

For icing:

Sift icing sugar into a large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter and peanut butter. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes, dividing equally. Sprinkle lightly with chopped peanuts, if desired.

- Tomato Basil Capellini

TOMATO BASIL CAPELLINI


½ c olive oil
2 T chopped garlic
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 pints cherry tomatoes
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 T chopped fresh parsley

2 T kosher salt
Splash of olive oil
¾ lb Capellini pasta
1½ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until soft but not mushy. Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil and parsley to the pan.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the salt, oil and pasta. The pasta takes only a few minutes to cook because it is so fine so keep your eye on it. Once cooked, drain and add directly to the pan. Toss ingredients, sprinkle on cheese and toss again.

Notes:

1. The recipe was a real surprise. I am used to heavy sauces on pasta and made this with caution but I will really surprises - this was great!

- Maple Roasted Bacon

MAPLE ROASTED BACON


1 lb good quality bacon
3 T good quality maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and spray liberally with Pam. Arrange the bacon in one layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon begins to brown. Remove the pan carefully from the oven and brush the bacon sliced with the maple syrup. Bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the bacon is a warm golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.

- Potato Basil Frittata

POTATO BASIL FRITTATA


8 T (1/2 c) unsalted butter, divided
2 c peeled and ½ inch diced boiling potatoes (Yukon Golds)
8 extra large eggs
15 oz ricotta cheese
¾ lb Gruyère cheese (see note)
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp finely ground black pepper
¾ c chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 c all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder

Serves 8

Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt 3 T butter in a 10 inch oven proof pan (I used my well-seasoned cast iron pan) over medium low heat. Add the potatoes and fry them until cooked through, turning often, 10 to 15 minutes. Melt the remaining 5 T of butter in a small dish in the microwave.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then stir in the ricotta, Gruyère, melted butter, salt, pepper and basil. Sprinkle on the flour and baking powder and stir into the egg mixture.

Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and place the pan in the center of the oven. Bake the frittata until it is browned and puffed, 50 minutes to an hour. It will be rounded and firm in the middle and a knife inserted in the frittata should come out clean. Serve hot.

Notes:

1. Made this yesterday for Mother’s Day and I really liked it. I am not a fan of Gruyère so I used a mixture of it, cheddar and mozzarella. It turned out great and what an easy thing to make when you are having company!

- Cauliflower, Tomato and Green Pea Curry

CAULIFLOWER, TOMATO AND GREEN PEA CURRY


1 small cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 ½ c green peas (I used frozen)
4 T oil (or ghee if you have it)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
¾ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 T madras curry powder
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp cardamom
¾ c yogurt (or sour cream)
2 large tomatoes, cut into thin wedges

Steam the cauliflower and peas until tender. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat until soft and golden. Add the turmeric, coriander, curry powder, sugar, cardamom and yogurt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower and peas and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with rice.

Note:

If you don’t want rice you can add cooked potatoes cut into small chunks.

- Chocolate Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PECAN CHEESECAKE

2 c vanilla wafer crumbs
1/3 c butter, melted
14 oz pkg Kraft caramels
6 oz can evaporated milk
1 c chopped pecans, toasted
2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
½ c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of a 9” springform pan and bake for 10 minutes. In a heavy saucepan, melt caramels with milk over low heat, stirring often until smooth. Pour over crust and top with chopped pecans. Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate and pour over pecans. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool and loosen cake from time of pan. Chill.

- Pecan Citrus Green Salad

PECAN CITRUS GREEN SALAD


Dressing:

6 T safflower or olive oil
4 T freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated zest of ½ a lime
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
1 T (real) maple syrup
½ small shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients and set aside (can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week).

Salad

6 c torn mixed greens or romaine lettuce
¾ c pecans halves
½ c dried cranberries

Place greens in a large salad bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with pecans and cranberries.

- Coconut Mango Rice

COCONUT MANGO RICE


1½ basmati rice
2 T butter
1 small onion – finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T minced gingerroot
1 T Madras curry powder
1 can (14 oz/400 mL) coconut milk
2½ c water
4 green onions, chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped
½ c packed fresh parsley (or cilantro)
¼ c sliced almonds, toasted

Rinse rice in several changes of cold water and drain thoroughly; set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté onion and red pepper for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and ginger; sauté for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add rice and curry powder, stirring to coat rice. Add coconut milk and water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork, stirring in green onions, mango, parsley and almonds.

Serves 6

- Spicy Noodle Salad

SPICY NOODLE SALAD


Dressing:
1/3 c soy sauce
¼ c white wine vinegar
2 T sweet chili sauce
2 T white sugar
2 T sesame oil
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp chili flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ c vegetable oil


450 g vermicelli (based on my using ½ a 900 g package)
1 c grated carrots
3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal


In a medium bowl (or jar), whisk together all of the sauce ingredients except for the oil. Gradually whisk in vegetable oil in a thin stream. Refrigerate until ready to use (can be made up to one week in advance). Whisk again (or if using a jar, shake vigorously) just before using.

Toss with cooked pasta, carrots and green onions.

Notes:

1. I like to mix the salad together about 3 hours before serving and leave it in the fridge until ready to serve.
2. Leftovers store very well in the fridge.

- Lifesaver Punch

LIFESAVER PUNCH


2 x 250 ml can frozen strawberry daiquiri mix
2 x 355 ml can frozen pink lemonade
4 l club soda
Lots of ice
Fresh or frozen strawberries or raspberries
Vodka, optional (depending on how your day is going)

Thaw and combine daiquiri mix and lemonade. Add soda water and ice. Float strawberry slices on top.

Notes:

1. I recently made the non-alcohol version of this for a shower and everyone loved it.

- Apple Cheddar Bruschetta

APPLE CHEDDAR BRUSCHETTA


1 baguette (sliced on the diagonal in 24 slices)
2 red-skinned apples, sliced very thinly
24 thin slices of sharp white cheddar cheese
½ c sweet Asian chili sauce
Olive oil


Place bread place slices on a parchment lined (only because it makes life so much easier) baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over bread slices and place under broiler until just starting to crisp. Remove from oven.

Top each slice of bread with 2 apple slices and 1 slice of cheese. Broil once again until cheese is a golden color. Remove from oven and drizzle with chili sauce.

- Spanish Chicken & Rice

SPANISH CHICKEN & RICE


1 T vegetable oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Chorizo sausages, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T tomato paste
2 tsp paprika
¼ tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)
1½ c long grain white rice
3½ c chicken broth
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bag (10 0z/300 g) prewashed baby spinach

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken and transfer to a plate. Add sausages, onion and pepper to skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add garlic, tomato paste, paprika and hot pepper flakes (if using); sauté for 15 seconds. Add rice, chicken broth and tomatoes, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the liquid is partially absorbed, return chicken to pan, cover and simmer, adding more broth if necessary, for 10 minutes or until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed and chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from heat and, using a fork, gently stir in spinach. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Serves 4.

Notes:

1. I am not a spicy food lover and I do not like most sausage concoctions but I have to say I really liked this dish. It was mildly spicy and if you don’t like spice at all, leave out the peppers and don’t eat the sausage (I didn’t eat the sausage but it does add a lot of flavour).

2. This dish took about 30 minutes to make!

- Lemon Chicken

LEMON CHICKEN

3 T butter, divided
4 c sliced white mushrooms
6 green onions, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ c flour
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
½ c chicken broth
¼ c dry white wine
1 T sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
¼ c lemon juice
¼ c sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large skillet, melt 2 T of the butter over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms, green onions and garlic for about 5 minutes or until just softened. Transfer to a 12 c casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. Remove chicken to a plate, reserving the remaining flour mixture. Wipe out skillet and melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat. Brown chicken and transfer to casserole. In the skillet, whisk together reserved flour mixture, chicken broth, wine, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Pour over chicken, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds and bake, uncovered for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Serves 4

- Stir Fried Broccoli

STIR-FRIED BROCCOLI


3 T chicken broth
1 T dry sherry
3 T oyster sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp brown sugar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp plus 1 T vegetable oil
1½ lbs broccoli florets cut into ¾ inch pieces, stalks trimmed and cut into ¼ inch slices
¼ tsp sugar


Whisk broth, sherry, oyster sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and brown sugar together in a small bowl. Combine the garlic, pepper flakes and 1 tsp vegetable oil in a second small bowl.

Heat remaining 1 T vegetable oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add broccoli and sprinkle with sugar; cook, stirring frequently, until broccoli is well-browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

Push broccoli to sides of skillet to clear center; add oil-garlic mixture and cook, mashing with rubber spatula, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir to combine garlic mixture with broccoli. Add chicken broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until florets are cooked through, stalks are tender-crisp and sauce is thickened, 30 to 45 seconds. Serves 4.

- Pulled Pork

PULLED PORK

Pork:

1 c plus 2 tsp table salt
½ c plus 2 T sugar
3 T plus 2 tsp liquid smoke
1 boneless pork butt roast (about 5 lbs), cut in half horizontally
¼ c mustard
2 T ground black pepper
2 T paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Barbeque Sauce

1½ c ketchup
¼ c light or mild molasses
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T hot sauce
½ tsp table salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

Dissolve 1 c salt, ½ c sugar and 3 T liquid smoke in 4 quarts of cold water in a large container. Submerge pork in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

While pork brines, combine mustard and remaining 2 tsp liquid smoke in small bowl; set aside. Combine black pepper, paprika, remaining 2 T sugar, remaining 2 tsp salt and cayenne pepper in second small bowl; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 325°.

Remove pork from brine and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub mustard mixture over entire surface of each piece of pork. Sprinkle entire surface of each piece with spice mixture. Place pork on a wire rack in a shallow roaster that has been sprayed with Pam and lined with tin foil (see Note 2). Place a piece of parchment paper over the pork then cover with a sheet of aluminum foil, sealing edges to prevent moisture from escaping. Roast pork for 3 hours.

Remove pork from oven; remove and discard foil and parchment. If, unlike me, you have any extra liquid in the bottom of the roaster, carefully pour off the liquid into a fat separator and reserve for the sauce. Return the pork to the oven and cook, uncovered, until well browned, tender and internal temperature registers 200° on thermometer (approximately 1½ hrs). Transfer pork to serving dish, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 20 mins.

While the pork rests, heat the sauce in a saucepan and add ½ c of defatted liquid from the roast (I didn’t have any liquid at all) into the sauce.

Remove the tin foil lining from the roaster. Using 2 forks, shred the pork into bite-sized pieces. Toss with 1/2 or all of the sauce (I used it all) and serve on buns of your choice.

Serves 8 - 10.

Notes:

1. Everyone enjoyed this but it was a bit spicy for me. I would make the same recipe again but if I was making it for people with “delicate” tastebuds, I would reduce the amount of black pepper, cayenne pepper and hot sauce.
2. Originally I could not figure out why the pan had to be lined with tin foil and the meat cooked on a wire rack. My racks took quite a beating and I then realized that the wire rack had some kind of reaction with the rubs and that would have happened to the roaster if the meat was placed directly on the bottom of the pan. My racks took quite a beating but the final result was worth it.

March 1, 2010

I just realized that I have posted my 100th recipe! Thank you to everyone for checking out my blog!

- Whole Wheat Cinnamon Waffles

WHOLE WHEAT CINNAMON WAFFLES

Yields about 8 waffles depending on size of waffle iron

2 eggs
1 ½ c Buttermilk (or regular milk mixed with 1 T lemon juice)
¼ c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ c all purpose flour
½ c whole wheat flour
¼ c oat bran
2 T white sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pam

Preheat an electric waffle iron and spray liberally with Pam.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together the 2 flours, oat bran, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Spoon about 1/3 c batter per waffle into iron. Close lid and cook until waffles are golden brown and steam stops coming out the sides.

Notes:

1. I know these sound too healthy to be good but they are delicious and you don’t taste all the healthy stuff. I wouldn’t have tried them if my daughter-in-law hadn’t told me about them (thanks Sherie).

2. I found myself grateful for a couple of things after I made the batter. Firstly, I was able to cook 1 batch (enough for my granddaughters) before the life of my waffle iron came to an end and secondly that I spend so much money on groceries that I discovered I had enough points for a free Cuisinart waffle iron from Save-On Foods.

- Chocolate Mud Pie

CHOCOLATE MUD PIE


1 8 oz pkg. chocolate wafers (crushed)
1/2 c butter + 3 T
1 1/2 pints coffee ice cream, softened
1/3 c cocoa
2/3 c + 2 T sugar
1 1/3 c whip cream
1 T + 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate (for garnish)

In small saucepan over low heat, melt 1/2 c. butter. Add the chocolate crumbs and stir with a fork to combine. Press into the bottom and sides of a 9" pie plate (or use a spring form pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 mins. Cool crust completely on wire rack.

Once the pan has cooled, carefully spread coffee ice cream onto crust; freeze until firm, about 1 1/2 hrs.

In large saucepan over medium heat, cook cocoa, 2/3 c sugar, 1/3 c whipping cream and 3 T butter until mixture is smooth and boils. Remove from heat and stir in 1 T vanilla. Cool mixture slightly then pour over coffee ice cream. Return pie to freezer, freezing at least 1 hour.

TO SERVE: In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat remaining whipping cream with 2 T sugar and 1 tsp vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pie. Garnish with chocolate curls.


Notes:

1. Remember this dish that was so popular 20 years ago? It is still delicious and I probably hadn't made it in 2o years!

2. Coffee ice cream can be expensive but I found that the Safeway Lucerne brand works very well at half the cost of many of the others!

- Japanese Chicken Breasts

JAPANESE CHICKEN BREASTS

Serves 8 easily

6 chicken breasts
3 beaten eggs
2½ c flour
1 c butter

Slice chicken into really thin pieces (much like slicing salmon for lox). Dip in slightly beaten egg and then in flour. Fry in butter until deep brown (remember if the chicken is sticking to the pan it is not ready to flip over – it should flip easily) and crisp. Place in shallow casserole dish (this part can be done ahead of time).

Preheat oven to 350°.

Sauce:

6 T soya sauce
6 T water
2 c white sugar (I know, I know)
1 c white vinegar
1 tsp salt

Add all sauce ingredients to a saucepan and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the casserole dish with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for a further 15 - 30 minutes, basting the chicken with the sauce occasionally during baking time.

Notes:

1. If I had not tasted this recipe at a friend’s (thanks Bonnie) house I would never have made it based on the simple ingredients. This is delicious and I can’t imagine anyone (kid or adult) not liking it.
2. The original recipe is for Japanese Chicken Wings and in the proportions that I have indicated for the balance of ingredients, you would need 6 lbs of wings.
3. This recipe goes well with Jasmine rice.
4. I usually get the chicken and the sauce done early in the day, refrigerate it until it is time to bake and then pour the sauce over the chicken.

- Cashew Rice Pilaf

CASHEW RICE PILAF

Serves 6

1½ c white basmati rice
1 T vegetable oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 onion, finely chopped
3 c boiling water
1 carrot, finely chopped
½ c frozen peas
½ c frozen corn kernels
¼ c unsalted roasted cashews or sliced almonds, toasted
2 T chopped cilantro (or if you are like me and hate it, substitute with parsley)

Place rice in a large bowl and cover with cold water; let stand for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse well under cold running water.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté cumin seeds for about 40 seconds or until browned and fragrant. Add cloves, cinnamon stick, salt and cardamom; sauté for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Add rice, stirring to coat with spices. Add boiling water, carrot, peas and corn; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, stir in cashews, cove and let rice steam for 10 minutes or until tender. Discard cloves and cinnamon stick. Fluff with a fork. Stir in cilantro (or parsley) if using.

Notes:

1. I reduced the spices by half because I didn’t want the rice to be over-powering. It is quite good even with the reduction. If I was going to serve this with say, butter chicken, I would use the full amount of spices.

- Tweed Cake

TWEED CAKE

Cake:
½ c butter
½ c milk
2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
⅔ c sugar
1⅓ c flour
2 egg whites (you’ll use the yolks for the icing)
2 squares of semi-sweet chocolate (grated)

Cream butter, add sugar gradually. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Fold in grated chocolate then egg whites. Pour into an 8 x 8 square pan that has been sprayed with Pam.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes.

Icing:
⅓ c butter
1½ c icing sugar
2 egg yolks
dash of vanilla

Cream butter, add sugar gradually, add yolks and vanilla. Once the cake has cooled, ice the cake.

Topping:
½ square semi-sweet chocolate
1 T butter

Once the icing has set, melt semi-sweet chocolate with butter and drizzle over icing. Swirl with knife if desired. Cool until topping has set.

Notes:

1. This is a recipe that I have had for over 30 years. I always forget about it and when I make it I realize how very easy and how delicious it is. It is great because the ingredients are all things that you have on hand. This time I used grated Toblerone bar because I always have some stored in my freezer.

- Apricot Macaroon Cheesecake

APRICOT MACAROON CHEESECAKE


2 c crumbled soft macaroons
2 envelopes unflavoured gelatin
½ c white sugar
1 c apricot nectar (or syrup from canned apricots)
½ c apricot brandy
¼ c lemon juice
4 egg yolks
2 – 1c pkgs. cream cheese, softened
4 egg whites
½ c white sugar
1 c whipping cream, whipped

TOPPING:
2 14 oz. cans apricot halves, in light syrup
½ c apricot brandy
2 tsp. cornstarch

Press macaroon crumbs in bottom of 9 inch springform pan.

In medium saucepan, combine gelatin, ½ c sugar, nectar, ½ c brandy and lemon juice. Whisk in egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened (8 to 10 minutes). Remove from heat. Beat cream cheese in large bowl of electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in egg mixture. Chill until slightly thickened.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually beat in sugar, beating to stiff peaks. Fold into thickened gelatin mixture along with whipped cream. Turn into crumb-lined pan. Smooth top. Chill several hours or until firm. Run knife around edge; remove ring.

Topping:
Apricot halves should be drained and excess moisture removed with paper towel. Cover top of cheesecake with apricot halves. In a small saucepan, combine brandy and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and then pour over the apricot halves.

- Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions

TOMATO SAUCE WITH BUTTER AND ONIONS

28 oz (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can
5 T (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with your favorite pasta and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes:

1. I made this recipe because I simply could not believe that anything this simple could taste good – I was seriously wrong. I served it with a pasta (Fusilli Bucati Corti) that I had never used before (thinking that if I made it with familiar pasta I would start to compare it with other meaty or spicy, more complicated sauces). I liked it just the way it was and really appreciated the deep tomato flavour.
2. I used good quality canned tomatoes from my favorite Italian deli.
3. I didn’t discard the onion – it was so full of flavour that my husband ate it as a sidedish.
4. This recipe feeds 3 people.

- Disappointments

Sorry - as you may have already figured out - this is not a recipe! I had planned to post three new recipes that I was trying this week but I made all of them (one soup and two desserts) and not only were they not blogworthy, the soup went down the garburator!

Stay tuned and don't lose faith. There has to be a success around the corner - doesn't there?

Cath

- Créme Brûlée

Créme Brûlée


1 extra large egg
4 extra large egg yolks
½ c sugar, plus 1 T for each serving
3 c whipping cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 T Grand Marnier

Preheat oven to 300º.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks and ½ c of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it’s very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and Grand Marnier and pour into 6 oz or 8 oz ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

To serve, spread 1 T of the sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

This can be made a couple of days ahead but the final step must be done just before serving.

Notes:

1. Guys seem to love this dessert (women enjoy it but wonder “where’s the chocolate”?)

- Coq au Vin

COQ AU VIN


6 large garlic cloves, smashed
4 whole black peppercorns
2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
1 bay leaf
7 sprigs flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves separated
2 T olive oil
8 oz pearl onions, peeled
12 oz white button mushrooms, halved or quartered
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T brandy
1 c dry red wine
3 ¼ c chicken stock
1 T tomato paste
1 T cornstarch

Using a small piece of cheesecloth, make a bouquet garni. Wrap 3 garlic cloves, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf and parsley stems; tie in a bundle with kitchen twine. Set aside.

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 T oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and remaining 3 cloves of garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Cut the chicken into strips about 2 inches long and ¾ inch wide. Add the butter and remaining 1 T of olive oil to the skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook in two batches until browned, about 1 minute per side. Return all of the chicken to the skillet. Add the brandy and wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pan. Add chicken stock; stir in tomato paste. Add bouquet garni. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, 15 minutes. Add the reserved mushrooms, onions and garlic. Cook 5 minutes more.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a bowl. Discard bouquet garni. Over high heat, reduce broth by half, about 12 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1 T cold water. Stir back into broth, and mix until incorporated. Cook 2 minutes. Return chicken, onions and mushrooms to pot; cook over warm heat until thoroughly warm. Chop parsley leaves, and stir in. Garnish with thyme and serve.

Notes:

1. I cheated on the bouquet garni. I bought the pre-made version at the Gourmet Warehouse on Hastings in Vancouver (my favourite specialty shop).

2. This recipe says it feeds 6 but I doubled it to feed 7 – it all depends on how hearty your guests’ appetites are!

3. I served this with Duchesse potatoes (recipe also posted) which are yummy (I had a hard time not eating all of the potato mixture before I piped it) and pan sautéed asparagus (okay we started with French Onion soup (previously posted) and ended with Crème Brûlée (recipe also posted).

- Duchese Potatoes

DUCHESSE POTATOES

Russet potatoes
Eggs
Butter
Whipping Cream
Shredded Gruyere Cheese

Boil and mash potatoes.

For each 2 cups of plain, hot, mashed potatoes, add salt, pepper, 2 eggs, 3 T of butter and 2 to 3 T of whipping cream, stirring after each addition and making sure that the mixtures is not too runny otherwise they will not hold their shape.

Pipe potatoes onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a small amount of shredded cheese on top.

Bake in the upper third of a 400° oven for about 30 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve immediately. You can also pipe these onto the sheet earlier in the day and bake at the last minute.

- Yorkshire Pudding

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

6 eggs
1 c milk
1 c water
2 c flour
Vegetable oil (about 1 tsp for each muffin cup)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Whisk the eggs, milk and water together, add the flour.

Spray a 12 muffin pan with Pam. Put 1 tsp oil into each muffin cup and heat the pan in the oven until the oil is very hot. Immediately pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

After the baking time turn on the broiler (don’t move the oven rack) and broil for a minute or two to set up the yorkies. Keep you eye on them or they will burn!!!

Notes:

1. The broiling time is a tip that I got about a year ago and it really helps maintain the size (because yorkies are notorious for shrinking after you take them from the oven).

- Overnight Raspberry French Toast

OVERNIGHT RASPBERRY FRENCH TOAST


8 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
8 oz pkg cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
½ c sliced almonds (toasted)
6 eggs
½ c white sugar, divided
½ c milk
½ c half and half cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Grease 8 inch square glass baking dish. Scatter half the bread pieces in the dish. Arrange cream cheese, raspberries and almonds on top. Finish with the remaining bread pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, ¼ c sugar, the milk, cream and cinnamon. Pour over bread. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over top. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake French Toast, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Serve with maple syrup.

Notes:

1. I used frozen raspberries and then put a few fresh ones on top just before serving. If using frozen raspberries, don’t thaw them first.
2. This takes about 10 minutes to put together.

- Beef Barley Soup

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

2 c leftover (lean) roast beef, chopped
9 c cold water
1 c tomato juice
1 c barley
½ c finely chopped onion
½ c carrots cut into one inch strips
3 T beef Bovril
1 tsp salt
½ c celery, chopped

Combine all ingredients and cook for 3 hours until barley is tender.

- Chocolate Chip Square

CHOCOLATE CHIP SQUARE


2/3 c. butter
2¼ c. brown sugar
3 eggs beaten
2 ¾ c. flour
2½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips
½ - 1 c. chopped nuts

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Mix together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and then remaining ingredients (strange consist¬ency but it works) and place in pan.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Slice while warm.

- Peanut Brittle

PEANUT BRITTLE


1 c white sugar
1/2 c clear corn syrup
1 c roasted salted peanuts
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda

Grease a cookie sheet.

In a 2 litre casserole dish (I use a clear glass pyrex dish), stir together the sugar and syrup. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Stir in the peanuts. Microwave on high for 7 to 9 minutes until light brown (the more powerful your microwave, the less time it will take).

Add butter and vanilla to syrup, blending well. Microwave on high 1 minute more. Peanuts will be lightly browned and syrup very hot.

Add baking soda and gently stir until light and foamy (caution – this will instantly increase in volume and will be extremely hot at this point - be very careful not to burn yourself).

Pour mixture onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool. When cool, break into small pieces. Store in an air-tight container.

Notes:

1. Don’t underestimate how hot this gets. This is not a recipe to be made with a child.
2. I actually put the cookie sheet outside (if it is cold enough) and the brittle sets in about 10 minutes.

- Egg Nog

EGG NOG


12 eggs, separated
1½ c super fine sugar (I use Berry sugar)
1 litre homogenized milk
1½ litre whipping cream
1 c amber rum
1 c brandy
Freshly grated nutmeg

In a very large bowl, beat egg yolks until pale yellow. Gradually add the sugar to the yolks. With a wire whisk, beat in the milk and 1 litre of the whipping cream. Add the alcohol, stirring constantly.

Just before serving, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Whip remaining whipping cream until stiff and fold in. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Notes:

1. Think this is a lot of alcohol? The original recipe calls for 51/2 c alcohol.
2. This is not like anything you could ever buy in a store. It is creamy and delicious (what I would think tasting a cloud would be like).

- Sausage Rolls

SAUSAGE ROLLS


2 lbs. sausage meat
2 c. cracker crumbs (I use Vegetable Thins)
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix
2 pkg. Tenderflake frozen puff pastry
2 eggs (whisked with 1 T water)

Mix first 3 ingredients together.

Roll out pastry and cut each portion (there are two portions in each package) in half.

At the edge closest to you place 1/8th of the sausage filling along the length of the edge. At the edge farthest away from you, brush the egg wash along the top (this will become the glue). Starting at the edge with the sausage filling, roll up to meet the top. You can then cut them in your desired size (see notes).

Once cut, place on a rack on a cookie sheet (that way any excess grease goes on the pan and doesn’t stay in the sausage roll) and brush the tops with the egg wash.

Bake at 400º for 20 minutes.

Notes:

1. I like two-bite size sausage rolls so if you cut each portion you will yield around 60 cocktail-size sausage rolls.

2. After rolling, the best way to cut to desired size is to use dental floss. That way they cut but they don’t squish as they would with a knife.

3. These are hands down the best you will ever have.

- Sweet & Spicy Pecans

Sweet & Spicy Pecans

1 lb or 5 cups pecan
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 T vegetable oil
1 T ground cumin
1 tsp each chili power and ground coriander
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp each cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper

Blanch pecan halves in boiling water for 1 minute; drain well. Transfer immediately to large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with oil; toss to coat well. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle in single layer on greased foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake in 325° oven, turning every 5 minutes, for 25 minutes or until nuts are crisp and slightly darkened.

Meanwhile, in metal cake pan or other heatproof pan, combine cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne; toast in oven alongside nuts for 5 minutes.

Dump nuts into large bowl; sprinkle with spices and toss to coat well. Spread in single layer on baking sheet to cool.

Store in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks (or more).

Notes:

1. These are absolutely addicting but fair warning – these spices stink (there is no better way to describe them). Absolutely everyone who has made them says that their house smelled awful and they thought they would have to throw them out (and pecans aren’t cheap) but I had warned them in advance and they were patient. These taste absolutely nothing like they smell. Your only problem will be putting the jar away after you have started. Another great gift idea.

- Nuts + Bolts

NUTS + BOLTS

1½ lbs. (750 g) mixed nuts
½ lb. (250 g) cashews
1 - 15 oz. (420 g) box Cheerios
1 - 24 oz. (750 g) Shreddies
9 oz. (280 g) pkg. pretzels
6 tsp. (30 mL) garlic salt
5 tsp. (25 mL) celery salt
2 tsp. (10 mL) onion salt
3 tbsp. (45 mL) Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. (10 mL) A-1 or H.P. steak sauce
2½ c. (625 mL) butter

Use 2 very large roasters or 2 very large lasagne pans.

Mix the first 5 ingredients together.

Melt the butter in a saucepan with all of the seasonings. Pour over the dry ingredients and separate into two pans..

Bake at 200° for 2½ - 3 hours stirring frequently (every 20 - 30 minutes).

Notes:

1. These store very well and after cooling I put them in plastic bags for several weeks. They make great Xmas gifts.

- Cinnamon Shortbread

CINNAMON SHORTBREAD


1/2 lb. butter
1/2 lb. Crisco shortening
1/2 c. berry sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
4 c. flour
4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt

Roll out dough and cut cookies with cutters. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 300° for 20 minutes.

Mix additional 1/2 c. berry sugar with 1 tsp. of cinnamon.

After taking cookies out of oven, and while they are still warm, toss in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Notes:

1) These cookies are melt in your mouth fabulous. They would make a wonderful Christmas gift and are part of my Christmas baking tradition.

- Chocolate Bark

CHOCOLATE BARK


8 oz semi-sweet chocolate melting wafers (or milk chocolate if you prefer)
2 oz white chocolate melting wafers
½ cup cashew pieces
½ cup coconut
½ cup chopped dried mangoes


Melt semi-sweet chocolate in double boiler, add cashews, coconut and mangoes. Mix together and spread on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Once cooled drizzle (or spread) with layer of melted white chocolate. Cool & crack into smaller pieces.

Notes:

This is fabulous and makes for an impressive (but way easy) Christmas gift.

- New York Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

1¼ cups finely ground graham crackers
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter (room temperature)

5 8-oz packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1¾ cup sugar
3 tbsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
¼ cup whipping cream

Mix graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar and butter using pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press firmly into bottom and ½ inch up sides of 9 inch spring form pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until very smooth. Blend in lemon juice and vanilla. Sift sugar, flour and salt. Gradually beat into cream cheese, then continue beating until moisture is creamy, smooth and light – about 5 minutes.

Beat in eggs and yolks one at a time, beating lightly after each addition.

Blend in cream. Pour into crust. Bake 12 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200°F. Continue baking until tester inserted into center comes out clean (about 45 minutes).

Gently run sharp knife around edge of pan. Cool cake completely in pan on rack.

Refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Notes: I should have posted this a long time ago and thought I had - it is the best ever!!

- Date Nut Spice Bread

DATE NUT SPICE BREAD


2 c coarsely chopped dates
1/3 c Cointreau or Triple Sec
1/4 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ c brown sugar, lightly packed
1 extra large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 T grated orange zest
2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp kosher salt
¾ c freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ c coarsely chopped pecans

Orange Cream Cheese Spread:

6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 c white sugar
1 T grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a regular size (8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ inch) loaf pan with Pam. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Combine the dates and Cointreau in a small bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the egg, vanilla and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. With the mixer still on low, add the flour mixture alternately with the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating only until combined. By hand stir in the dates with their liquid, and the pecans.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, sugar and orange rind on medium speed until just combined.

Slice the bread and serve with the orange cream cheese on the side for spreading.