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March 2010...

Chef Gwen
Powderhorn Ranch
Gourmet Week

Gwen's Blog





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Past
Recipes
Spicy Pumpkin Bread
Tender, moist, and gingery, this is the best pumpkin bread recipe I've tried.
It doesn't need dried fruit or nuts or anything else to make it better. It's
perfect just the way it is. But if you're anything like me,
you won't be able to resist tweaking the basic recipe. I've added a cup of
toasted pecans, dried cranberries (soak them first in warm apple juice or your
favorite liqueur to plump them up), and I've even replaced half the all-purpose
flour with an equal amount of whole wheat flour, which makes for a darker,
chewier bread. The cool thing about this
recipe is that it makes two loaves, one to eat and one to share. The other cool
thing is that it uses the whole can of pumpkin, so you don't need to decide what
to do with the leftover pumpkin, like many recipes that call for just a cup of puree.
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©iStockphoto.com/George
Peters |
Spicy Pumpkin Bread
(from Par Fork! The Golf Resort
Cookbook)
Makes 2 medium
loaves
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon
baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon
ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon
ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon
ground nutmeg
2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable
oil
1/2 cup water
1 (15-ounce)
can pumpkin pure
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Heat oven to 350°F. Spray two (8-1/2 X 4-1/2
X 2-1/2) loaf pans with nonstick spray.
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Whisk first 8 ingredients (flour through
nutmeg) together in a large bowl.
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Beat the eggs with the oil, water and pumpkin
puree. Pour egg mixture over flour mixture and stir just to combine (a few
small lumps are fine.
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Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans
and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few
moist crumbs attached, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool a few minutes and then
turn out bread onto a rack and cool completely.
Spicy Apple Chutney

I
adapted this recipe from the Apple Pear Habañero Chutney in
Par Fork! The Golf Resort Cookbook. I call for a green apple (Granny Smith) and a red
apple. You can use any red apple variety, other than Red Delicious, which is
mealy and unfortunately bred to look perfect at the sake of its taste and texture.
| ©iStockphoto.com/Ina
Peters |
If habañero is a bit too spicy for you, substitute an equal
amount of serrano chile or jalapeño, or leave
out the chile altogether. But then, you'll have to call it apple
compote -- not spicy chutney, but it still works the same way, a sweet accompaniment to grilled meat, especially pork.
Let's just say, for
argument's sake, that you have some left over grilled pork tenderloin in the
fridge (perhaps you read my
blog last month
and scored Aunt Sally's Pork Marinade). And let's say, that you have a bit of this chutney left over as
well. Friends pop in unexpectedly, and you want to "whip up" something in a
jiffy. Here's what you do. Slice the pork tenderloin (about 1/4 an
inch or thinner). Place the pork on a cracker (or a toasted baguette if
you're really prepared) and top with a teensy dollop of this chutney.
If you have some cream cheese
(or Brie)
on hand, slather that on the cracker or baguette first. Garnish with an herb
pinch if you have one, but do not worry if you do not. Your friends will bow
at your feet, marveling at your culinary prowess once again.
Oh, one more thing. Cooking
chutneys, or really anything with lots of vinegar, will irritate some
people. It does stink up the kitchen a bit, with a slight nose-burning rank
smell... but please don't let that deter you from making this wonderfully
sweet, tart chutney. Just do it alone.
Spicy Apple Chutney
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Makes
about 2 cups
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1
cup cider vinegar
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1
cup chopped onion
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1
medium green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 1-1/4 cups)
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1
medium red apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 1-1/4 cups)
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1
cup sugar
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1
tablespoon whole mustard seed
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1
tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
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2
teaspoons minced garlic
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1
teaspoon seeded and minced habañero chile (or serrano chile)
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1/2
teaspoon dry ground ginger
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1/4
teaspoon ground coriander
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1/4
teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1/8
teaspoon ground nutmeg
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2
tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
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2
tablespoons cold water
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Heat vinegar, onions, and apples in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring
to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer, cooking until vinegar reduces
to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in the next 9 ingredients (sugar through nutmeg). Cook gently
until fruit is tender but not mushy, about 3 minutes.
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Bring mixture to a full boil. Whisk arrowroot (or cornstarch) with cold water and stir
into boiling chutney. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for another
minute or so.
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Serve warm or at room temperature. May be prepared up to 3 days in
advance. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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Oatmeal Cherry Muffins
If
you don’t like overly sweet muffins, you’ll love these. You can use dried
cherries instead of fresh cherries, but reduce the quantity to 1 cup. The
oatmeal creates a moist muffin while providing a sturdy texture.
©iStockphoto.com/Ekaterina Shlikhunova
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Makes about a dozen
regular muffins
1-1/2
cups buttermilk
1-1/3
cups old-fashioned oats
1-1/3
cups all-purpose flour
3/4
cup brown sugar
2
teaspoons baking powder
1
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt.
1/3
cup butter (5 1/3 tablespoons), cut into pieces
2
eggs
1-1/2
cups fresh cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
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In a small saucepan,
heat buttermilk and oats just to a boil. Remove from heat and cool
completely.
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Heat oven to 425°. In
a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking
soda and salt.
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Add eggs and cooled
oat mixture and stir just until blended.
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Fold in cherries.
Fill greased muffin tins 3/4’s full and bake until a toothpick inserted
in the center of the muffin comes out mostly clean, with a few moist
crumbs attached, about 15 to 18 minutes.
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Remove from oven and
cool 10 minutes, then remove from pan.
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Steve's BBQ Burgers

I love these
burgers, and much to my brother's chagrin, I asked him to make some with ground
turkey in addition to the beef burgers he prefers. I think anyone would be hard
pressed to tell the difference, especially when the burger is this juicy, and
sandwiched between a soft bun loaded with lettuce, pickle, red onions and
tomatoes. Give it a try.
©iStockphoto.com
Steve's BBQ Burgers
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Serves 6
2 pounds
ground beef
2/3 cup
bbq sauce (divided)
1/4 cup
liquid smoke
3
tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning (divided)
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Heat the
grill to medium (350 degrees).
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Crumble the beef into a large bowl and pour about
1/3 cup of bbq sauce and the liquid smoke over the beef.
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Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper
seasoning. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined.
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Form into 6 equal patties either by hand or in a
form.
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Slather both sides of each patty with the remaining
bbq sauce and sprinkle both sides with the remaining lemon pepper
seasoning.
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Grill until medium, about 15 to 18 minutes,
flipping only once, about half way through.
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Bread Pudding

Who doesn't
like bread pudding? I guess it's not the best summer dessert, but it's not quite
summer yet, and since I just returned from New Orleans, where I sampled a half a
dozen bread puddings (including a lovely Apricot Bread Pudding for breakfast), I
kind of have bread pudding still on my brain...or is it my hips? I'll just
have to run faster, jump higher, etc., because I'm heading back to the kitchen
for another bite.
©iStockphoto.com/Mat
Greiner Mara Cole
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Serves 8 to 10
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup
whole milk
2 large eggs
2 egg
yolks
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound day-old challah bread, crust removed
and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup raisins (optional)
Bourbon Sauce:
1/2 cup
butter
1 cup
powdered sugar
1 egg,
lightly beaten
2
tablespoons to 1/4 cup Bourbon |
Bread Pudding:
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Heat oven to 350°F. Whisk cream, milk,
eggs and yolks together. Whisk in the next 5 ingredients (sugar through
nutmeg).
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Slather the butter generously all over the
bottom and sides of a 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Cover with bread cubes and
sprinkle raisins (if using) evenly on top.
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Pour cream mixture over bread, making sure
each cube is moistened. Soak at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
(After soaking, I mash the bread cubes with the back of a spoon just to
make sure everything is good and soaked.)
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Set the pan into a larger roasting pan in
the oven and pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come half way
up the sides of the bread pan. Bake until a knife inserted in the center
comes out almost clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. The center should
jiggle just a little.
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Cool slightly and serve with Bourbon
sauce. (If you cool completely, you can cut the bread pudding in neat
squares as in the picture, otherwise it will be a little messy.
Bourbon Sauce:
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Whisk butter and sugar together in a double boiler
over low heat until mixture is smooth and hot.
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Drizzle a few tablespoons of the hot butter sugar
mixture into the egg and whisk until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into
the remaining butter/sugar mixture in the double boiler and whisk until
smooth.
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Remove from heat and stir in Bourbon to taste.
(start with 1 or 2 tablespoons, taste, and if you like a strong Bourbon
taste, stir in the remaining liquor. Serve warm over bread pudding.
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Coconut Jalapeno Ice Cream

I know it
sounds weird, but it's good. The creamy coconut is delicious and after a couple
of bites, the back of your throat starts to warm up a bit from the Tabasco
sauce. Garnish with some fresh mango and you're set. Oh, just try it.
©iStockphoto.com
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Makes 1 quart
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1 (16 oz) can cream of
coconut
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1-1/2 cups half and
half
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1/4 cup heavy cream
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2 tablespoons Tabasco®
Green Pepper Sauce
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1/2 cup sweetened
shredded toasted coconut
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Whisk first 4 ingredients
together and thoroughly chill.
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Process chilled mixture in
an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions, sprinkling in the
toasted coconut as the mixture thickens.
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Transfer to a freezer
container and freeze for 1 to 4 hours.
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Peanut Butter French Toast

I
traveled all the way to Tucson, Arizona recently
for this French Toast. It's that good.
A couple of years ago, I was
invited to participate in the Tucson Culinary Festival, and I stayed at
Westward Look Resort.
This French Toast was on the menu in The Gold Room, the resort's dining room. It
was love at first bite.
Last year, I found myself once
again in Tucson for an event, and while I didn't stay at Westward, I did stop by
on my way out of town just to see if the French Toast was still on the menu. It
was. Oh rejoice!
Last month, I once again needed
to stay overnight in Tucson to attend a culinary event, and so I called the
resort to find out if the French Toast was still on the menu. "Yes, it is," the
operator said. "Book me a room," I said.
What she didn't tell me is that
the resort was sold last year, and is in the process of a major renovation
(which is a good thing, because some of the rooms are looking pretty tired and
worn).
I would have slept in the lobby
just to have another shot at this French Toast. This is my adaptation of their
recipe (they wouldn't give it to me, but my server told me how they make it).
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Serves 4
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8 slices Texas Toast (thick sliced, pale yellow color)
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12 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (about 3/4 cup)
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2-1/2 cups corn flakes
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1-1/2 cups milk (2% or whole)
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4 eggs
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla
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2 tablespoons butter
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Warm maple syrup
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Slice bananas or strawberries (optional)
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Heat oven to 350º F. Spread one side of each
bread slice with 1-1/2 tablespoons peanut butter each. Set aside.
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Finely crush corn flakes (I used a food processor). It
should look like the texture of uncooked coarse grits. Place in a shallow
baking pan and set aside.
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Whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla together until well
blended.
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Dip each bread slice into the milk mixture and place on
another baking sheet, peanut butter side up and repeat with remaining
slices.
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Dredge soaked bread in crushed corn flakes pressing
lightly so that flakes adhere.
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Heat a griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat.
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Melt a little butter and fry bread, peanut butter side
down first, until golden, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown other side, about
2 minutes.
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Place toast on a rack set inside a baking pan. Repeat
with 7 remaining bread slices.
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Place browned toast in the oven to finish cooking,
about 5 minutes.
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Remove from oven. Slice bread in half diagonally,
giving 4 halves to each person. Top with fruit, if desired and serve with
warm maple syrup.
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Rosemary
Pear Bisque
with Blue Cheese and Toasted Walnuts

This
soup tastes best room temperature or slightly chilled, I think, although it is
quite acceptable to serve it warm on a chilly night. The color is pale cream,
but with a sprinkling of toasted walnuts, blue cheese and a tiny sprig of
rosemary, it looks elegant.
©iStockphoto.com/Joan
Vicent Canto Roig
Serves 6
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9 firm, but
ripe Bartlett pears (about 3-1/2 to 4 pounds)
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2 tablespoons
butter
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2 generous
tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
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1 generous
tablespoon fresh grated ginger
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1/2 cup white
wine (fruity like Viognier or dry Riesling)
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1 cup pear
juice or nectar
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2 tablespoons
sugar
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2 tablespoons
Pear Liqueur (optional)
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2 teaspoons
fresh lemon juice
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Kosher salt
and freshly ground white pepper
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Garnish:
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1/3 cup blue
cheese, crumbled
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1/3 cup finely
chopped toasted walnuts
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1.
Peel, quarter and core pears. Set aside. (Cover pears in a bowl
of water with a little lemon juice if you prepare the pears in
advance, up to 1 hour.)
2.
Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in pears (drain
and pat dry if you held them in water) ginger, and rosemary.
Cook just until pears are coated in the butter, tossing to
coat.
3.
Pour in wine and turn heat to medium high. Cook until the pears
release most of their juices and the liquid comes to a boil,
about 3 minutes.
4.
Stir in pear juice or nectar and sugar. Bring to a boil,
stirring occasionally, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer
until pears are tender, about 5 minutes.
5.
Remove pan from heat. Puree soup in batches with a handheld
blender or in a regular blender (do not fill blender more than
half full if mixture is hot.)
6.
Return soup to saucepan. Stir in pear liqueur (optional), lemon
juice, pinch of salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings. Add more
lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
7.
To serve warm, gently reheat over medium heat, stirring often.
To serve chilled, remove from heat and chill in an ice water
bath, stirring often. When cool, remove from bath, cover and
refrigerate until completely chilled, about 1 hour.
8.
Ladle soup into 6 bowls, and garnish with a sprinkling of blue
cheese and toasted walnuts.
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Chocolate Pecan Pie with Orange Scented Crust

My
husband took a slice of this pie before we sat down for our Thanksgiving meal,
worried that one of the other 33 guests would beat him to it. I took a bite,
too, and now I'm convinced that eating pie before turkey will be a new
tradition.
This recipe is adapted from two
recipes, one from my friend Jane in Park City, UT, and an espresso flavored
chocolate pecan pie from Fine Cooking.
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Makes 1 (9-inch) pie
Crust:
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1-1/4 cups flour
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Zest of 1 orange
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Pinch of sugar
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Pinch of salt
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1/2 stick butter, cut into small chunks
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1/4 cup chilled Crisco, cut into small chunks
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2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
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3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
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1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
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1 cup light corn syrup
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1 cup sugar
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3 large eggs
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Pinch salt
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6 ounces chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
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2 cups pecan halves
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Whisk flour, zest, sugar and salt together. Cut in butter and Crisco
until mixture is crumbly (do in a food processor to speed up process
and avoid over working the dough.)
-
Add just
enough water to gather the dough into a ball. Flatten dough into a
round disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour and
you can make it 1 day in advance.
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Heat the
oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle and center
over a 9-inch glass pie pan. Fold edges under and crimp. Line with
foil, and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust turns
slightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, remove
foil and pie weights. Cool crust.
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Whisk melted butter with cocoa and espresso
powders until smooth. Whisk in corn syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla and
salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
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Line the bottom (outside edge only) of the baked pie crust
with pecan halves. Take the remaining pecans and coarsely chop. Mix
the chopped pecans with the chocolate filling and pour over pie
crust (the pecans will float to the top during baking.)
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Bake the pie until crust is deep golden brown
and pie is mostly set (it will jiggle slightly in the center), about
50 minutes to 1 hour. Cover the crust with foil if it gets too
brown. (I had to cover my crust after 40 minutes of baking.)
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Remove and cool to room temperature. Pie can
sit out at room temperature overnight, so you can make this pie a
day ahead.
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Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or
whipped cream.
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Rosemary Scented Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry
sauce doesn't have to come from a can. (Sorry, Dad.) Here's a simple,
seasonal rendition that should be on your Thanksgiving table.
©iStockphoto.com/Liza
McCorkle
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Makes 3 cups
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1 (12 oz.) package of fresh or frozen cranberries
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1 cup sugar
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1 cup ruby Port Wine
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1 sprig fresh rosemary
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1/4 cup dried cherries (or dried cranberries)
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1 tablespoon gin
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1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
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1/2 cup chopped toasted pine nuts
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1. Stir cranberries, sugar, Port, and rosemary, in a heavy
saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and
reduce heat to simmer.
2. Simmer until cranberries burst and mixture thickens slightly, about
15-20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in cherries, gin and nutmeg.
Cool completely before folding in pine nuts. Remove rosemary sprig before
serving.
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Watermelon Gazpacho

It's
still too hot to turn on the oven, so I think we should stick with chilled soups
this month. If you want to make more of a meal out of this, throw in some cooked
shrimp. I know, it sounds weird, but it works.
©iStockphoto.com
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Serves 6
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8 cups of 2-inch
cubed seedless watermelon flesh
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3/4 cup peeled,
seeded and chopped hothouse cucumber
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3/4 cup chopped
red bell pepper bell
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Juice of 2 limes
(about 1/4 cup)
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1/4 cup chopped
red onion
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1 tablespoon
chopped mint leaves
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1/2 cup cranberry
juice cocktail
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1 jalapeno,
chopped
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Kosher salt and
freshly ground white pepper
Garnish:
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1 cup chopped
watermelon flesh (about 1/4-inch cubes)
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1/2 cup chopped
red bell pepper
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1/2 cup chopped,
seeded (but not peeled) hothouse cucumber
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1 tablespoon
chopped mint leaves
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Working in
batches, pulse the 8 cups of watermelon in a food processor until
almost smooth. Place in a large mixing bowl.
-
Pulse cucumber,
bell pepper and onion until finely chopped.
-
Place in the mixing bowl
with the watermelon.
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Stir in the cranberry juice, lime juice and
mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill.
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Just before
serving, toss the garnish ingredients together.
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To serve, ladle
about a cup of watermelon gazpacho into a chilled bowl or cup.
-
Sprinkle a generous tablespoon or so of the garnish mixture on top
of soup.
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Grilled Pork Tenderloin With Pineapple Salsa

It's
way too hot to turn on the oven, so we're grilling outside this month. Yes, it's
hot outside and even hotter standing over the hot grill, but that's what ice
cold beer is for, right? At least the kitchen stays cool. This month, we're
loving this spiced rubbed pork tenderloin, and topping it with a pineapple
salsa.
©iStockphoto.com
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2 pork tenderloins,
about 1 pound each
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1 tablespoon ground
allspice
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1 teaspoon ground
coriander
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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1 teaspoon ground
cayenne
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1 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
-
1/2 teaspoon garlic
powder
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2 tablespoons
vegetable oil
Pineapple Salsa
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1/2 a fresh pineapple,
peeled, cored and diced small
-
1 red bell pepper,
diced small
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1/4 of a small red
onion, diced very small
-
1 jalapeno (seeded or
not) diced very small
-
3 tablespoons roughly
chopped cilantro
-
Juice of 1 lime
-
Kosher salt and black
pepper to taste
Serves 6-8 |
-
Trim tenderloins of visible fat and silver
skin.
-
Toss the spices together in a small bowl.
-
Sprinkle tenderloins evenly with spice
mixture. (you can do this the day before to allow the mixture to really
penetrate the meat, or at least 1/2 hour before grilling, leaving the
meat at room temperature.)
-
Heat the grill to medium heat. When hot,
brush the tenderloin with the vegetable oil. (You may also want to oil
the grill rack, too.)
-
Place the tenderloins on the grill and
close the lid. Grill for 4 minutes, then turn the tenderloins over and
grill another 4 minutes.
-
Turn the tenderloin a quarter turn and
grill for 4 minutes, and finally turn to grill the last side for another
4 minutes, for a total of 16 minutes grilling time (this will give you
just barely medium pork. If you want it more done, add another minute or
two to each grilling side.)
-
Remove the meat and loosely cover with
foil. Rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing to serve.
Pineapple salsa
1. Stir all ingredients together and
season with salt and pepper to taste. |
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Chipotle Glazed Salmon

My
sister-in-law, Tish, thinks she can't cook. She
wrong. She has perfected a salmon recipe that she slowly roasts in a low oven,
slathered with a smoky sweet-hot glaze. On a recent trip to Texas, she treated
us to this lovely dish and so as soon as I returned to Arizona, I wanted to give
it a go.
I found Copper River salmon at
A.J.'s and at $37 a
pound, wondered if I shouldn't just frame it, but instead called Tish to ask her
how to make the glaze. "Oh Gosh," she said, "if you figure out the proportions,
let me know," she laughed. She said she takes the adobo sauce from a can of
chipotles (smoked jalapenos) and mixes in some brown sugar and a splash of soy
sauce, both for taste and to deepen the color.
Tish puts a long piece salmon
filet (skin removed, no doubt by the butcher) in a roasting pan, covers it with
her sauce, and roasts the salmon in a 250 degree oven until it's done. I decided
that I wanted to grill the salmon, so that's how I've written the recipe below.
Either way, it's the best salmon dish I've ever tasted. I served it on top of a
spicy vinaigrette tossed salad and sprinkled it with
smoky grilled corn. Simple, delicious, and oh so good for you.
|
-
1-1/2 pounds fresh
salmon fillet, skin on
-
1 tablespoon vegetable
oil
-
Kosher salt and
freshly ground black pepper
*To really turn on the heat, chop up one
or two of the chipotles to add to the sauce.
Tish uses La Costeña chipotles in a 7 oz. can, but you can use any
brand. Look for canned chipotles in the Mexican foods aisle of your
grocery store.
Serves 4 |
-
Heat the grill to medium high heat.
-
Whisk the adobo sauce, brown sugar
and soy sauce together in a small bowl.
-
Brush the salmon with the vegetable
oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-
When the grill is hot, place the
salmon on the grill, skin side up over direct heat.
-
Grill for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn
salmon, skin side down. Turn the burner directly under the salmon off,
and turn the other burners to low.
-
Brush salmon with the glaze every
couple of minutes until it is done.*
- Remove skin from
salmon and serve.
*It
should feel not quite firm when pressed in the center. It takes about 10
minutes total cooking time for 1-inch thick fillets, so adjust time up
or down accordingly. |
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Lemon Poppy Seed Mini Cakes
with Strawberry Basil Compote
12 servings
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1/2 cup buttermilk
-
Grated zest of 1
lemon
Glaze:
-
Juice of 1 lemon
-
1/3 cup powdered
sugar
|
-
Heat oven to 350°.
Spray a 12-cup standard muffin pan with non-stick spray (like the kind
with flour in it.)
-
Cream together butter
and sugar on medium speed in a mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
-
Beat in the eggs one
at a time on medium speed. Beat in vanilla extract.
-
Whisk flour, poppy
seeds, salt and baking soda together in a small bowl.
-
Stir buttermilk and
zest together.
-
Alternately add
buttermilk (in 3 stages) and dry ingredients (in 2 stages) to the
creamed mixture, beginning and ending with the buttermilk.
-
Spoon batter into the
prepared pan, filling each tin about 2/3's full. You will have a little
batter left over.
-
Bake 18 minutes or
until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
-
Stir the lemon juice
and powdered sugar together in a small bowl.
-
Punch lots of holes in
the top of the warm mini cakes with a skewer and brush on glaze. Keep
brushing the tops until the entire glaze is gone.
-
Remove mini cakes from
pan and cool on a cooling rack.
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Stacked Chicken Enchiladas
with Roasted Tomatillo & Jalapeno Sauce

I love, love,
love Mexican food. I had some left over grilled chicken and started thumbing
through my cookbooks (yes, the ones I wrote...I use them all the time to make
dinner, don't you?) I stopped on page 99 in
Par Fork!, at the Tomatillo Salsa
recipe from Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson. They serve this tangy sauce on
Huevos Rancheros, but I thought it might be good with my grilled chicken.
I'm not good at rolling corn tortillas
for traditional enchiladas so I decided to make them in the New Mexican style,
just stacked on top of each other with layers of chicken, cheese and sauce in
between. I wanted this to be a little more healthy than traditional enchiladas,
so I didn't use any oil on the tortillas and used the cheese sparingly.
The sauce calls
for roasting the jalapeno, so I decided to just roast, or in this case, grill
everything else, too -- the tomatillos, the onions and the zucchini, since my
left over chicken was already grilled. Hey, if you're going to fire up the grill, you might as well
multitask.
You can prep all
of this (the grilling, making the sauce) a day ahead of time, so when it comes
time to assemble and heat, you can have dinner in less than 30 minutes. And I
guarantee you, even Rachael Ray can't make a meal that tastes this good in 30
minutes.
4 servings
|
Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
Enchiladas
-
12 corn tortillas
-
1 pound grilled chicken,
diced
-
2 medium grilled
zucchini, diced
-
1 large grilled or
sautéed onion
-
2 cups shredded cheddar (or Mexican
blend) cheese
-
Mexican crema or sour cream (optional)
-
1/2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
|
For the Sauce:
-
Grill the tomatillos and jalapeno over
medium heat (either outdoors on the grill or on a pepper roaster set
over your stovetop burner) until the tomatillos skins are mostly black
and the pepper is black all over. Remove from heat and let cool.
-
Remove the
skin from the pepper, and roughly chop the pepper and tomatillos and
place in a food processor.
-
Cut the
avocado in half and remove the seed. Scoop out the flesh and add to the
food processor. Top with the cilantro and lime juice.
-
Sprinkle
with a little salt and pepper and pulse until the mixture is mostly
pureed but some visible chunks of tomatillo remain. Taste and
season if necessary.
For the Enchiladas:
-
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a
baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
-
Place 4 tortillas on the baking sheet.
-
Spread about 2 tablespoons of sauce on
each tortilla all the way to the edge.
-
Top each tortilla with a small handful
of chicken, zucchini and onions. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of cheese (and
Mexican crema or sour cream if using).
-
Place another tortilla on top of each
of the four tortillas and repeat steps 3 & 4 -- the sauce, the
chicken, zucchini and onions, then the cheese and crema.
-
Top with another corn tortilla and any
left over ingredients. Do a final sprinkle of cheese and then place
in the oven until heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
-
Garnish with crema/sour cream and some
chopped fresh tomatoes.
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Orange Kissed Chocolate Lava Cakes

Nothing says
February better than something chocolate. And what could be better than a warm,
gooey chocolate cake? How about a warm, gooey cake kissed with orange? I've
taken the basic recipe for the Chocolate Volcano from
The Cool Mountain Cookbook,
and given it an orange twist. The best thing about this dessert is you can make
the batter in advance, and bake it while you eat your dinner. Enjoy!
Serves 5
-
1 tablespoon of butter
-
5 (8-ounce) ramekins
-
14 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 6
tablespoons)
-
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
-
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
-
Zest of 1 orange
-
4 eggs
-
4 egg yolks
-
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
-
3/4 cup flour
Garnish (optional):
-
Candied orange zest
-
Mint sprigs
-
Orange sherbet
|
-
Preheat oven to 450°. Butter 5 (8-ounce)
ramekins. Set aside.
-
Melt the 14 tablespoons of butter and
chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally,
just until melted
-
Remove from heat and stir in Grand Marnier
and orange zest.
-
Beat eggs and egg yolks in a large mixing
bowl until thick and lemon-colored (I used an electric mixer but you may
do this by hand). Add powdered sugar to eggs and beat.
-
Add flour and beat again until smooth.
Beat in chocolate mixture. Divide mixture evenly among the 5 buttered
ramekins.
-
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the
tops just start to crack (too much cracking is a sign of overcooking).
It should be slightly undercooked in the middle.
-
Let stand for exactly 8 minutes. Turn
upside down on a serving plate and remove mold. Serve immediately.
NOTE: If you make this in advance, after
dividing mixture into ramekins, refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove from
refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan to bake them, or increase the
baking time by 3 or 4 minutes if you go straight from the refrigerator to
the oven. |
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The New Shrimp Cocktail
What's
new about this shrimp cocktail? Two things -- first, the herbs and spices
in the poaching liquid to cook the shrimp, and two, the twist on the cocktail
sauce. Of course, it has a Southwest kick.
With
the holidays coming up, shrimp cocktail is just one of those classic appetizers
that's always in fashion. I hope you like the additions I've made.
Serves 4-6
-
1 pound U-15 jumbo frozen shrimp, shell on
-
4 quarts cold water
-
2 lemons, sliced
-
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
-
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
-
2 tablespoons ground cumin
-
2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly
sliced
-
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
-
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
-
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Arizona Cocktail Sauce:
-
1 cup your favorite jarred cocktail sauce
-
1 chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce) minced
-
Zest of 1 orange
-
2 tablespoons orange juice
-
Zest of 1 lemon
-
2 tablespoons lemon juice
-
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
(NOTE: I found the COOLEST
shrimp cocktail
server in the Frontgate catalog (see picture).
You put ice in the bottom tray, and then
place the serving lid on top. Scatter your shrimp around the dip holder.
|
1.Place the shrimp in a strainer set inside
a large bowl. Cover the shrimp with cold tap water. Set aside for 5
minutes to thaw.
2. Meanwhile, bring the remaining
ingredients (4 quarts of cold water through salt) almost to a boil. Start
with high heat but before water boils, turn heat to medium-low. You want
the liquid to be about 170 degrees.
3. When the water reaches poaching
temperature (170 F.) drain the thawed shrimp and drop into the poaching
liquid. Cook, stirring occasionally
until shrimp is opaque, about 3-1/2 to 4 minutes.
4. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and
spread in a single layer on a sheet pan to cool. Discard cooking liquid.
5. When cool, pat shrimp dry with paper
towels and refrigerate shrimp (covered) until well chilled.
6. Peel
chilled shrimp. leaving the tail section on. Keep shrimp refrigerated until ready to serve.
7. Whisk all cocktail sauce ingredients
together and chill. Taste and add salt if desired.
8. Serve chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce.
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Sweet Potato Mini-Muffins
These
muffins are just like the ones in
The Cool Mountain Cookbook,
only in that book, the recipe calls for pumpkin puree. I bake sweet potatoes
frequently, and generally bake an extra one to make these muffins, or the
pumpkin pancakes from The Great Ranch
Cookbook, just substituting the mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin puree.
Makes 48 mini-muffins
-
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
-
1-1/4 cups sugar
-
1-teaspoon salt
-
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-
1 teaspoon cinnamon
-
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
-
3 eggs
-
1/2 cup vegetable oil
-
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons baked,
mashed sweet potatoes (from about 1 pound of sweet potatoes)
-
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
-
1/2 cup golden raisins
Streusel topping:
|
1.To prepare streusel topping: Stir together
the walnuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together the
flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.
3. Lightly whisk the eggs with the oil and
mashed sweet potatoes. Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture and
stir just to moisten. Fold in walnuts and raisins. Do not overmix.
4. Spray mini-muffin tins with a non-stick
cooking spray. Spoon muffin mix into each cup, 3/4 full.
5. Top with a teaspoon of streusel topping.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes
out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
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Fettuccini with Wild Mushroom Creamy Sauce
If
you received my email newsletter last month, you
were treated to a lovely fresh peach and gorgonzola bruschetta from my friend
Jeanette Nuss,
author of
Bistro Cooking with Jeanette. Here is a simple pasta dish from her cookbook
that is simply divine,and as Jeanette says, perfect for casual entertaining.
Jeanette
says: "This dish is an easy and delicious dish to make for entertaining. The
creamy white sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated. Mushrooms can be cooked
the day before. While boiling pasta, you can combine the sauce with the
mushrooms and heat together. Prep time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 22 minutes."
|
Creamy Sauce:
-
10 ounces chèvre,
goat cheese
-
1 cup cream, milk, half & half or
low-fat milk
-
1 cup chicken broth
-
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
-
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Mushroom Mixture:
-
8 ounces crimini (brown) mushrooms
-
8 ounces portabella mushrooms
-
8 ounces white mushrooms
-
1 tablespoon olive oil
-
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
-
4 springs sage leaves, chopped
-
Salt & pepper to taste
-
1 tablespoon cognac
-
1/2 bunch basil leaves, chopped
Pasta:
-
1 pound fettuccini pasta
-
6-8 quarts water
-
3 tablespoons salt
-
1/2 medium raw potato
Garnish:
|
-
For the Creamy sauce: In a food processor
or blender, place all sauce ingredients. Process together until a creamy
texture. Set aside.
-
Clean mushrooms with a wet towel or wash,
dry and slice.
-
Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large
sauté pan. Cook mushrooms. Add crushed garlic, sage, and salt and pepper
to taste. Simmer on low heat until mushrooms are tender. Add cognac and
simmer for 5 minutes.
-
Combine creamy sauce with mushroom
mixture. Heat together for a few minutes. Turn off heat and stir in
basil.
-
To cook the pasta, fill a 6-8 quart pot
with water. Add salt and the raw potato half. Bring to a rapid boil. Add
fettuccini and stir with a for. Bring to another boil. Lower heat to
medium and cook according to package directions or 10-15 minutes until
pasta is al dente. Drain, remove potato and discard.
-
To serve, toss pasta with desired portion
of mushroom sauce. Top with grated Asiago cheese.
Serves 8 |
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Cabo Margaritas
It's
been said that the very first margarita was made with Damiana, not that sissy
French stuff (Grand Marnier). I can't verify that, but I can say, without
question, that these margaritas are my very favorite. They're not sweet, so if
you're used to a sweeter margarita, you might want to add a little bit of sugar,
or replace the fresh lime juice with a margarita or sweet and sour mix.
Look for Damiana
at specialty liquor stores. I've found it at
A.J.'s Fine Foods here
in the valley. If your store doesn't carry it, ask if they will order it for
you.
|
4 ounces Damiana Liqueur
6 ounces white (blanco)
tequila
8 ounces fresh squeezed
lime juice (about 10-12)
Garnish:
Lime wheels
Serves 4
|
-
Pour all ingredients in a pitcher an stir.
Chill until very cold.
-
Fill margarita glasses with ice and pour
Damiana Margarita mixture to rim.
-
Garnish with a lime wheel.
NOTE: You can blend the mixture for a frozen
margarita. |
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Grilled Ginger Pineapple Pork Tenderloin
June is my
unofficial start of the grilling season, although living in Arizona, we grill
year round. I tend to grill more during the summer because I can't bear to heat
up the kitchen by turning on the oven. I created this recipe for a grilled fruits article
for The Arizona Republic. I love the flavor of grilled pineapple and it seems
like a natural fit with juicy, ginger-soaked pork tenderloin. Leftover pork and
pineapple make a great filling for sandwiches or as a salad topper. Enjoy!
|
Marinade:
-
1 cup pineapple juice
-
1/2 cup soy sauce
-
1/4 cup dark rum
-
1/4 cup vegetable oil
-
2 tablespoons brown sugar
-
1 tablespoon minced shallot
-
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
-
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Serves 6
|
-
Whisk marinade ingredients together. Set
aside 1/2 cup for pineapple. Place remaining marinade and pork in a
sealable plastic bag. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 4 hours or
overnight, turning occasionally.
-
When ready to grill, peel and core
pineapple. Cut crosswise into 3/4-inch thick rings. Toss rings with
1/2 cup reserved marinade and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Heat grill
to medium-high (375-400º F.)
-
When grill is hot, remove pork from
marinade and season with pepper. Place marinade in a saucepan and bring
to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer and reduce
almost by half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
-
While marinade is reducing, grill pork,
turning once after 8 minutes. Grill until pork reaches 140º F. for
medium, about another 10 minutes. Remove from grill and cover to keep
warm.
-
While pork is resting, grill pineapple
rings for 2 minutes, turn and grill another 2 minutes.
-
Slice pork at an angle into 1/2-inch thick
slices. Place grilled pineapple ring on a plate and top with 2 to 3
slices of pork. Drizzle with reduced marinade, re-warmed if necessary.
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Moroccan Spiced Grilled Salmon
It's
almost wild salmon season! I can hardly wait, but since we love salmon, we eat
the farm-raised salmon all year long. This spice rub
helps punch up the flavor of mild-tasting farmed salmon. My best advice is to
cook the salmon just to medium (temperature 145-150 degrees).
Salmon cooked well done is not only
dry, but has a fishy taste. Cooking it just until medium means that the edges
will be fairly done, but the center might have a darker color. The payoff
is more moisture and more flavor. Serve this salmon on top of a bed of
baby spinach leaves dressed with the Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette recipe sent in my April newsletter.
Serves 4
|
*If you have a flavored olive oil, like
lemon or orange, use it...it makes a nice flavor addition. |
-
Rinse and pat dry the salmon fillets.
Rub with olive oil, and generously sprinkle flesh side with spice blend.
-
Let salmon sit at room temperature while
grill is heating up to temperature.
-
Heat the grill to medium-high heat, about
375 degrees. When hot, brush grill with vegetable oil to prevent the
salmon from sticking.
-
Grill salmon, flesh side down first, for
about 4 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low and finish cooking until
desired temperature is reached (about another 4 minutes for medium*.)
-
Remove from heat, cover with foil to keep
warm, and rest for about 5 minutes.
*Please try not to overcook the salmon. It
will continue cooking after you remove it from the heat, and a slightly
underdone salmon will taste so much better than an overdone salmon.
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Quinoa Pilaf with Apricots & Currants
Exploring new grains is one way to
relieve the boredom of cooking the same old rice or potato dish. If you want to
get fancy, you can present this side dish as I did, in a mini-tower. I save
tomato sauce cans just for this purpose. Remove both ends of
the can, and wash
and dry the can. Spray the inside of the can with non-stick spray and place on a
dinner plate. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the pilaf into the can, and press down with
the back of the spoon. Carefully lift the can off the plate, while gently
pressing down on the top of the pilaf. Garnish with a fresh herb leaf.
Serves 6
-
1 tablespoon olive oil
-
1/2 a red bell pepper, finely diced
-
1 small zucchini, finely diced
-
1 scallion, finely chopped (white and
green parts)
-
1 cup Quinoa grain
-
2 cups chicken stock or water
-
10 dried apricot halves, finely diced
-
2 tablespoons currants
-
Zest of 1 orange
-
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper
|
-
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over
medium-high heat. When hot, stir in bell pepper, zucchini, scallion, and
quinoa. Cook stirring occasionally, until pepper is tender, about 2
minutes.
-
Pour in chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in apricots and currants. Cover and
simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
-
Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
Stir in zest and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Crab
Stuffed Mushrooms
I love crab
stuffed mushrooms, and this recipe from The Cool
Mountain Cookbook is one of my favorites because it doesn't have any
fillers, like bread crumbs. It's just cream soaked crab and garlic piled into
oven roasted mushroom caps, and drizzled with a lovely cream and parsley sauce.
You can make the mushrooms in advance, and bake them off when your guests
arrive. If you do make them in advance, make sure the mushrooms and the
crab filling are cool before stuffing. Save the Parmesan to sprinkle on just
before you bake them. You can keep them covered, in the refrigerator for up to 8
hours before baking. You can also make the sauce a day in advance and just
re-warm it before serving. Enjoy!
-
24 large mushrooms (white or baby
portabellas)
-
Olive oil
-
1 tablespoon minced garlic
-
2 tablespoons white wine
-
8 ounces lump crab meat
-
1/2 cup heavy cream
-
1 tablespoon butter
-
1/2 bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped
-
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper
-
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Sauce:
-
2 teaspoons minced garlic
-
1 teaspoon olive oil
-
1/2 cup heavy cream
-
1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley leaves
-
1 teaspoon butter
-
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper
|
-
Preheat oven to 350°. Clean mushrooms and
remove and reserve stems. Toss the mushroom caps with 2 tablespoons of
olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
-
Place cup side of mushroom up on a sheet
pan and roast 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until
ready to stuff.
-
Finely chop reserved mushrooms stems (or
pulse in food processor a few times).
-
Sauté garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil
for 1 minute. Add mushroom stems, cooking 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in
white wine and let simmer until the liquid is almost gone.
-
Stir in crabmeat, cream, butter and
parsley. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low and let cream
reduce by about 1/2 (about 10 to 12 minutes) and season with salt and
pepper.
-
Drain off any accumulated liquid from the
mushroom caps. Spoon crabmeat mixture into mushroom caps, mounding the
crabmeat slightly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
-
Return mushrooms to a 350° oven and bake
until heated through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the
sauce.
-
Sauté garlic in 1 teaspoon of olive oil
for 1 minute. Stir in heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook
4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing cream to reduce
slightly. Stir in chopped parsley and swirl in 1 teaspoon of butter.
Drizzle sauce over hot mushrooms and serve.
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Sinful Chocolate Mint Terrine
I adapted this
recipe from the Chocolate Amaretto Terrine from Par Fork! The Golf Resort
Cookbook. It's creamy, rich, chocolate nirvana with a double hit of mint from
peppermint liqueur and a splash of peppermint extract.
I crush peppermint candies to sprinkle on top.
I've also made this into Tequila Orange Slab, by substituting tequila and Grand Marnier, and
adding a bit of orange zest. You could also do a hazelnut terrine, or a
coconut terrine. The possibilities are practically endless. Happy
Valentine's Day.
|
-
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
-
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
-
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
-
2 eggs, separated
-
3 cups heavy cream
-
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
-
4 tablespoons peppermint schnapps or crème
de menthe
-
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Garnish:
NOTE:
This
recipe makes 2 medium loaf pans.
You can serve 8 to 10 people per loaf.
I usually freeze one to have a dessert for later. |
1. Line 2
medium (8-1/2 X 4-1/4 X 2-1/2) loaf pans with plastic wrap. Set aside
until ready to use.
2.
Melt both chocolates with the
butter in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally.
3.
While chocolate is melting,
beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes with an
electric mixer on high speed. Set aside.
4.
Whip cream until almost thick,
about 2 minutes, with an electric mixer on high speed. Sprinkle powdered
sugar evenly over top, and beat until stiff. Keep refrigerated until step
6.
5.
Whisk egg yolks together, then
whisk into chocolate mixture. Whisk in liqueurs and extract into chocolate
mixture.
6.
Fold a cup of the whipped
cream into the chocolate mixture with a whisk until almost smooth. Fold
in another cup in the same manner.
7.
Gently fold the egg whites in
2 stages into the chocolate mixture, followed by the rest of the whipped
cream.
8.
Spoon the mixture evenly
between the loaf pans. Spread the tops until even and smooth. Cover and
chill for at least 3 hours. May be made 1 day in advance, and it freezes
for up to 1 month.
9.
To serve, dip the loaf pan in
a large pan of hot water if necessary to remove from pan. Place a plate
upside down over the top of the loaf pan. Turn the pan over and remove
the loaf pan and the plastic wrap.
10. Cut into
1/2-inch slices to serve. Sprinkle with crushed
peppermint. |
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Broiled Honeyed Grapefruit with
Toasted Coconut

This is really easy, and very beautiful. I like to
use the ruby red grapefruit varieties.
Serves 8
|
-
4 red grapefruit
-
1 cup honey
-
1 cup shredded coconut
|
-
Slice grapefruits in
half crosswise. Run a knife around the outside of the fruit and through
the sections for easier eating and to create pockets for the honey to
fall.
-
Drizzle grapefruits
with 2 tablespoons of honey each and top with 2 tablespoons of coconut.
Place grapefruit on a baking sheet and place under the broiler at least
5 inches from heat source. Broil until warm and coconut is golden brown,
being careful not to burn coconut, about 3 to 5 minutes.
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Pumpkin Cranberry Spread
With
just a hint of sweetness from the cranberries, and luscious fall flavors like
walnuts, pumpkin and spices, this is a lovely spread to do around the holidays.
I like to cut out little star shapes in slices of multigrain bread and toast
them to serve with this quick and easy appetizer, but any cracker will do just
fine.
Makes 2
cups
-
8 ounces cream cheese
-
1 cup dried cranberries, plus a tablespoon
for garnish
-
3/4 cup toasted walnut pieces
-
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
-
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
-
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-
Pinch salt
|
-
Break the cream cheese up into chunks and
drop into a food processor. Sprinkle with the cranberries and walnut
pieces. Spoon in the pumpkin puree, and sprinkle with spices and salt.
-
Pulse until almost smooth, stopping to
scrape the sides of the bowl down once.
-
Transfer to a bowl and garnish with extra
cranberries.
Note: You can make this one or two days in advance, if covered and
refrigerated. Let it come to room temperature before serving and garnish
with cranberries at the last minute. |
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Smoked Salmon Canapés
There will be
plenty of turkey served this month, so I'm whipping up some smoked salmon
nibbles to share before the Thanksgiving meal. I'm calling for cream cheese
mixture in the recipe, but I think substituting a soft goat cheese would be
delicious.
Serves
16
-
8 ounces cream cheese,
softened
-
1 teaspoon minced
garlic
-
1 teaspoon
Worchester sauce
-
2 tablespoons minced
red onion
-
Salt and pepper to
taste
-
1 of a hot house
cucumber
-
8 ounces smoked salmon
pieces
-
2 generous tablespoons
drained capers
-
Several sprigs of
chives, cut into 2-inch pieces
|
-
Mix cream cheese with
the next three ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Run a fork down the
sides of the cucumber all the way around, creating grooves that run
lengthwise. Cut the cucumber into 1/4-inch slices crosswise.
-
Lay a couple of small
smoked salmon pieces on top of the cucumber. Place a scant teaspoon of
the cream cheese mixture on top.
-
Garnish with 2 or 3
capers, and a piece or two of snipped chives. Chill until ready to
serve.
(May be prepared up to 4
hours in advance. Stick a toothpick in a few of the cucumbers, and cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator about 1/2 hour before serving.)
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Grilled Chicken Sausage
Crostini
with Chimichurri Sauce &
Roasted Red Peppers
Chimichurri, a vibrant green sauce, originates in
Argentina and is served with grilled meats. I leave the jalapeno seeds in to add
some heat to this naturally spicy condiment. Top these savory crostinis with
roasted red bell peppers and a sprinkling of crumbled queso fresco. If you don't
have queso fresco, a very mild, crumbly Mexican cheese, use grated mozzarella,
or even Feta or goat cheese. Just know that the latter two cheeses are strong,
and will take away a bit of the attention from the chimichurri and sausage
flavors.
Serves
6
-
1/2 of a Sourdough
baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
-
1 pound chicken
sausages links, preferably Italian-seasoned
-
1 batch Chimichurri
sauce
-
1/4 cup finely chopped
roasted red pepper
-
1/2 cup crumbled queso
fresco*
*Queso fresco is a mild,
crumbly Mexican cheese. You can substitute grated mozzarella (mild) or
feta (strong).
Chimichurri Sauce
Makes 1 cup
-
1/2 onion, rough
chopped
-
2 cloves garlic
-
1/2 jalapeno
-
1/2 small bunch of
parsley leaves (about 2 cups)
-
1 tablespoon fresh
oregano
-
1-1/2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
1/2 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
-
1 tablespoon olive oil
|
-
Heat the oven to 350
degrees. Brush bread slices with olive oil and toast in the oven for 5
to 7 minutes.
-
Heat grill to medium
high. Grill sausage until cooked through. Slice sausage diagonally to
fit baguette.
-
Spoon 1 teaspoon of
sauce on each slice of bread and top with one piece of sausage. Place a
pinch of red peppers on top of the sausage, and sprinkle with queso
fresco.
Chimichurri Sauce
In a food processor,
pulse onion, garlic
and jalapeno until chunky. Add parsley, oregano and pulse until mixture
is finely chopped. Add vinegar, salt, and pepper to processor and drizzle
in oil as it is mixing. Let stand at room temperature at least 20 minutes
before serving.
Keeps covered, in the refrigerator for 2-3
days, but it will lose its vibrant green color, and turn a dull dark
army-green color. |
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Grilled Desert Honeyed Peaches
The
last of the season's peaches are going to be just a memory soon. One way to
sweeten a not-so-sweet peach is to grill it with this spicy honey glaze. The
grilling intensifies the peach flavor. Queso Fresco is a fresh, crumbly Mexican
cheese. If you can't find it, feta would work, adding a noticeable tang.
Or blue cheese would be a nice touch, but leave out the ground chile if you use
your favorite blue. In Arizona, we have plenty of mesquite honey, but you can
use any honey you have.
Serves
6
|
|
-
Heat honey, vinegar, chile powder and sage
in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm. Set aside to cool.
-
Heat grill to medium (350º F.).
Cut peaches in half lengthwise and remove pits.
-
Brush cut side with honey glaze and place
cut side down on the grill. Grill for 2-3 minutes. Turn peaches over
and grill another 2 minutes, or until peaches are soft. Remove from
grill.
-
Place 2 peach halves on a dessert plate.
Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of honey glaze on top and sprinkle with queso fresco. Garnish with fresh sage sprig.
|
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Balsamic Marinated Grilled Zucchini
As
long as you are firing up the grill for a steak or chicken, why not grill some
vegetables while you're at it? If you have zucchini in your garden, you're
probably wondering what do with all your bounty. This is an easy way to use up
some of that harvest. Double the batch, and serve some for dinner, and then serve
the rest the next day at room temperature as part of an antipasto platter.
Serves
6
|
Marinade:
-
2 tablespoons olive oil
-
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-
1 tablespoon water
-
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-
1/4 teaspoon sugar
-
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
-
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
-
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1-1/4 pounds zucchini (about 3-4 medium)
NOTE: Don't worry too much about
measuring the ingredients for the marinade. You can just eye-ball the
amounts and get close enough. |
-
Whisk marinade ingredients together.
-
Cut zucchini, at an angle, into 1/2-inch
pieces to create oval shapes.
-
Toss zucchini with marinade in a bowl.
-
Heat grill to medium-high heat. When hot,
brush grill with vegetable oil.
-
Place zucchini on grill. Turn after 1 to 2
minutes, or until first side shows grill marks. Grill another minute or
2, until zucchini is crisp-tender.
-
Remove from grill and serve hot, or at
room temperature.
NOTE: You can marinate the zucchini
overnight or for just a few minutes. Refrigerate leftovers. |
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Pistachio Crusted Halibut
After
I sent the Cauliflower & Roasted Garlic Puree in June's e-newsletter I
received a few requests (thank you for reading my email!) for the halibut recipe, so here it is, and if I don't say
so myself, it's divine. Not
only did my anti-cauliflower, teeny, tiny sister-in-law lap up every bite on her
plate, so did Alec, my 12 year-old nephew, the one I'm always begging to try new
things with so-so success. We made a quick lime butter sauce to drizzle on the fish, and I've
pasted that recipe below, too, but it isn't critical to have the sauce. It just
adds another (sublime) layer of flavor.
To save time, you can prepare the halibut up to
step (5), and cover and refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 8 hours in
advance. You can make the salsa 1 day in advance, and if you don't want to mess
with fresh cherries, or they are not in season, just use dried tart cherries,
about 1 cup. It won't have the same texture, and it will be a little more tart,
but it will work just fine.
Serves
6
-
1 cup flour
-
2 teaspoons salt
-
1 teaspoon paprika
-
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
-
2 eggs
-
1/4 cup water
-
2 cups panko bread crumbs
-
1 cup ground, shelled, toasted or raw
pistachios
|
-
Toss flour with salt, paprika and black
pepper in a shallow dish.
-
Beat the eggs with water in a shallow
bowl.
-
Toss panko with ground pistachios in
another shallow dish.
-
Trim halibut if necessary, removing skin
and any bones or fatty tissue.
-
Dust fillets with seasoned flour, dip in
egg mixture, then roll in panko mixture.
-
Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and heat a
large skillet over medium heat with enough peanut oil to come to about
1/8-inch depth.
-
When oil is hot, place 2 or 3 fillets in
the skillet. Fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on the first
side. Flip and fry on the other side for about 2 minutes.
-
Place fillets on a baking sheet and place
in the oven to finish cooking, about another 5 to 6 minutes for a 1-inch
thick fillet, less time for thinner fillets, more time for thicker ones.
-
Remove from oven and rest a couple minutes
before serving with a dollop of cherry salsa.
|
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Fresh Cherry Salsa
Makes
1-1/4 cups
-
1/2 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted and
roughly chopped
-
1/4 cup dried cranberries
-
1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios
-
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
-
1 jalapeno, minced (with or without seeds)
-
1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro
-
1 tablespoon chopped mint
-
Juice of 1 lime
-
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
|
Toss all the ingredients together, and
taste.
Note: It's best to make this at least an
hour or so before serving, but you can make it one day in advance.
|
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Lime Beurre Blanc
Makes
1/4 cup
-
Juice of 1 lime
-
1/2 cup white wine
-
1 teaspoon minced shallots
-
8 tablespoons cold butter (1 stick)
-
2 tablespoons heavy cream
-
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
|
-
Heat lime juice, white wine and shallots
in a small sauce pan over high heat. Vigorously boil until reduced to
about 2 tablespoons of liquid.
-
Turn heat to very low, and, 1 tablespoon
at a time, gently swirl in butter, waiting until that tablespoon is
almost melted before adding the next. You may have to pull the pan off
the heat a few times to keep the sauce from breaking (separating).
-
Stir in cream and season with salt and
pepper.
|
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Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
This salsa is so versatile. I adapted the recipe from one in
Par Fork! The Golf Resort Cookbook from Loews Ventana Canyon
Resort in Tucson. They pair it with Huevos Rancheros.
It's
smoky flavor perks up everything from grilled fish to scrambled eggs. It will
keep at least a week in the refrigerator, so you can have a homemade salsa to
pair with chips during the week when friends stop by, or a sauce for your
grilled chicken or fish.
I have a
pepper grate I place over my gas stovetop burner to roast the tomatillos and
jalapeño. I've seen the grates at several Arizona cooking stores, or you can
order one on-line from
The Santa Fe School of Cooking. You be surprised how often you use it. If
you don't want to wait until you get a pepper grate, you can roast peppers,
tomatillos, and tomatoes over a gas grill, or under the broiler. Just watch
carefully if you use the broiler, just blistering the skin to black, turning
often.
Makes
1-1/2 cups
-
12 tomatillos ( about 3/4 pound)
-
1 jalapeño
-
1 ripe avocado
-
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
-
Juice of 1 lime
-
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper
|
-
Remove the papery husks of the tomatillos
and rinse with cold water. Pat dry.
-
Roast the tomatillos and jalapeño over an
open flame until blistered and black all over. Use tongs to gently turn
the tomatillos and pepper as they blacken. Place in a bowl, cover with
plastic wrap for a few minutes to cool.
-
Peel tomatillos, and peel and seed
jalapeno. Place in a food processor.
-
Cut avocado in half, remove the seed, and
scoop out flesh into the food processor.
-
Place cilantro on top of avocado, squeeze
lime juice all over, and season with salt and pepper.
-
Process salsa until thick and chunky.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
|
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Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Last
month I shared a simple, strawberry and balsamic dessert with you. It's
still strawberry season, so you could use fresh strawberries instead of frozen
ones if you have extra for this recipe.
Certainly serve this over a salad with spinach or
baby greens and fresh sliced strawberries. I like to add dollops of mild goat
cheese, sliced yellow bell peppers, and toasted walnuts or pecans to finish the
salad.
This vinaigrette is versatile. You can use
it as a marinade for fish (like halibut) or chicken before grilling. It's
also good tossed with cooked wild rice.
Serves
4
-
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
-
1/3 cup
honey
-
1/2 cup frozen
strawberries*
-
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
-
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
-
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
-
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
* about 6 or 7 whole strawberries, and you
may substitute fresh for frozen |
-
Place the 7 ingredients (balsamic vinegar
through white pepper) in a blender and blend for 10 seconds.
-
With the blender running, slowly pour in
the 1/2 cup olive oil.
Keeps in the refrigerator, covered, for 1
week. |
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Balsamic & Black Pepper
Strawberries with Shaved Chocolate
Serves
4
You can put
this simple dessert together in a matter of minutes. If you prefer, marinate the strawberries ahead of time, but not more than a couple of
hours, as the acid in the vinegar will start to deteriorate the texture of the
strawberries. Just the
whisper of dark chocolate compliments the sweet-tart marinated strawberries, and
the black pepper adds just a hint of spiciness.
|
Garnish:
-
Buttermilk Ice Cream (or plain vanilla)
-
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black peppercorns
-
1 ounce quality semi-sweet chocolate
|
-
Whisk the vinegar and honey together until honey dissolves.
-
Pour vinegar/honey mixture over sliced
strawberries and toss. Refrigerate until chilled.
-
Scoop 1 or 2 scoops of ice cream in a
dessert bowl. Top with about 1/4 a cup of marinated strawberries.
-
Sprinkle with cracked black pepper and,
using a microplane or a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate over top.
Serve immediately.
|
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Buttermilk Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
I'm not a
big buttermilk fan. I'd never sit down and drink a glass of it, but I wanted to
develop a tangy ice cream to serve with the rich, Western Derby Pie recipe from
The Great Ranch Cookbook. So, I thought, why not replace half the cream
with buttermilk to see if I could get the "bite" of the buttermilk without the
sour taste? And, Ta Da! It works. It's the perfect foil for
any super rich, super sweet dessert, especially ones with deep, dark chocolate.
Pull out
that ice cream maker you have stuffed in the back of your cabinet and try this
creamy, but sharp ice cream. It only takes about a half hour to assemble
and chill, and then another 15-20 minutes in the ice cream maker. For a
firmer ice cream, freeze it for a couple of hours, or overnight. I like it
soft, right out of the ice cream maker.
Makes
just over 1 quart
-
1 vanilla bean, split
-
2 cups lowfat buttermilk
-
2 cups heavy cream
-
3/4 cup sugar, divided
-
6 egg yolks
|
-
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean
into a heavy medium saucepan. Discard bean. Stir in the buttermilk,
cream, and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring just to a boil over medium heat,
whisking occasionally, then remove from heat.
-
Beat the
remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the egg yolks. Slowly drizzle about a
quarter of the hot buttermilk mixture, a little at a time, into the
yolks to warm them.
-
Stir the
warmed egg yolks back into the remaining buttermilk mixture and place
over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring frequently until mixture
thickens, about 4 to 8 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of the
spoon, and not drip if you run your finger through the mixture. This is
called nappé (nah-pay).
-
Strain
mixture into a stainless steel bowl. Set that bowl in a larger bowl of
ice water to chill. Stir occasionally until very cold. Pour mixture
into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions. Transfer
mixture to an airtight container and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.
|
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Buzz & Bryan Wisda's Mai Tai
Can't make
it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year? Why not make your own party?
Instead of serving the traditional Hurricane, try this potent Mai Tai, sent to
me by one of my Sur La Table students, Bryan Wisda, which he created with his
Dad, Buzz. He says, "This should taste very sweet and go down VERY warm.
Three of these and Aleve will be your friend in the morning."
Yikes!
I'd start with one and go from there.
Serves
2
-
2 ounces light rum
-
2 ounces orange juice
-
2 ounces guava juice or nectar
-
2 ounces pineapple juice
-
2 ounces sweet & sour mix
-
1 ounce Triple Sec or Cointreau
-
1 ounce grenadine
-
Splash Meyers Black Rum
|
-
Pour ingredients into a tumbler.
Cover and shake.
-
Serve over ice with a squeeze of lime, a
pineapple wedge, and then top with a splash of Myers Black Rum.
|
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Sherry & Walnut Green Beans
We had
friends over for Christmas Eve, and I wanted to make a green vegetable that was
A.) different, and B.) something I could make in advance and serve at room
temperature. I needed my oven space for the ham and Angel Rolls, not to
mention the Bourbon Sweet Potatoes.
So, I came
up with this tangy, crunchy green bean side dish that tastes spectacular.
I blanched the beans the day before, so finishing it up was a snap.
Serves 6
-
1 pound green beans, trimmed
-
2 tablespoons olive oil
-
1 tablespoon minced shallots
-
1 teaspoon minced garlic
-
1/4 cup sherry (I like Dry Sack®)
-
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
-
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
-
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
-
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper
-
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, crushed
-
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
|
-
Blanch green beans in a pot of salted boiling water for 5 minutes.
Drain and place beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain
and pat dry (may be prepared 1 day in advance.)
-
Cut
green beans into bite-size pieces (I like to cut them at an angle
because they look better).
-
Heat
2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Stir in shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in sherry and let it reduce by half.
-
Add
green beans and cook until warm, about a minute or so, stirring to coat
the beans. Stir in the mustard, sherry vinegar and Extra Virgin olive
oil.
-
Cook
another minute or so and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper,
and sprinkle with crushed walnuts (I place them in a plastic bag and
smash them with a mallet.) Toss with Parmesan and serve.
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Smoked Salmon & Chives Canapés
The holidays
are upon us and we all need a little appetizer to serve that doesn't take much
effort. I found
Athens® Mini Fillo Shells in the freezer section at a local grocery store.
If you can't find them, just make the dip and serve with gourmet crackers.
It's an extremely flavorful dip, and don't be surprised if your guests ask for
the recipe.
Makes 30 canapés
-
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
-
1/2 cup sour cream
-
2 tablespoons finely chopped red
onion
-
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
-
1 tablespoon lemon juice
-
1 tablespoon soy sauce
-
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
-
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
-
Pinch salt and ground black pepper
-
6 ounces smoked salmon, chopped
-
2 (15-count) boxes of mini fillo
shells
|
1. Reserve 2 tablespoons of chopped
salmon.
2. Beat cream cheese through black
pepper until smooth. Fold in all but 2 tablespoons of chopped salmon.
Remove mixture to a bowl, cover and chill 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place mini fillo shells on a sheet pan and crisp in the oven for 3 to 5
minutes. Remove and cool.
4. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon
into each shell. Garnish with reserved salmon and snipped chive
sprigs. |
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Savory Apricot & Pear Compote
Makes 1-1/4
cups
-
1
tablespoon olive oil
-
1/4
cup chopped onion
-
1
ripe pear, peeled, cored and chopped
-
1 cup
chopped dried apricots
-
1
tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
-
1/4
cup water
-
1/4
cup rice wine vinegar
-
1/4
cup brown sugar
-
1
teaspoon fresh chopped sage leaves
-
Pinch
ground cloves
-
Pinch
red pepper flakes
-
Pinch
Kosher salt
|
-
Heat oil in a small saucepan over
medium-high heat. Stir in onions when oil is hot, and cook until
almost tender, about 2 minutes.
-
Stir in ginger, pear and apricots,
cooking and stirring just to coat the onion mixture, about 1 minute.
-
Stir in the remaining ingredients
(water through salt). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a strong
simmer and cook until thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes, stirring
occasionally. (It will thicken more as it cools.)
-
Remove from heat and serve warm or
at room temperature. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 1
week.
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Steve's Pasta Toss
"That's the
great thing about a pasta toss," Steve said. "It's hard to mess up."
Steve is my little brother (OK, not so little, but younger.) He's a
budding gourmet and I'm jealous because he remodeled his kitchen last year and
now it's better than mine. I took his note cards for this recipe and
turned his favorite pasta dish into a recipe you can follow.
Serves 8
-
6 slices premium, thick-sliced
bacon, chopped
-
1 cup water
-
1 cup dry white wine
-
2 Italian pork sausage links (spicy)
-
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
-
1 teaspoon sugar
-
1 medium onion, finely chopped
(about 1 cup)
-
4 cloves minced garlic (about 1
tablespoon)
-
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh
rosemary leaves
-
1 small can of corn (8 ounces),
drained
-
1 (14.5 oz) can Hunt’s Balsamic
Diced Tomatoes
-
1 (14.5 oz) can Hunt’s Regular Diced
Tomatoes
-
2 tablespoons fresh basil,
chiffonade*
-
1 pound penne pasta
Garnish:
-
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
(the real Parmesan)
-
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
-
2 tablespoons fresh basil,
chiffonade
*Chiffonade
is a French term for a certain cut for leafy green vegetables. To
chiffonade basil, stack basil leaves on top of each other. Roll tightly
lengthwise into a mini-cigar shape. Slice as thinly as possible crosswise
to result in thin, long strips.
Helpful hints:
-
Use a splatter
screen over the skillet while the bacon cooks to avoid hot grease
splatters.
-
Chop the
onion, garlic and rosemary while the bacon cooks.
-
To speed up
the cooking time (but dirty more pans, al a Steve), cook the bacon in
one pan while the sausage cooks in another, and the sauce in a third.
It should cut the cooking time from 1 hour to about 30 minutes. I
suggest making it the first time in one pan. Then the next time, you
can cook the 3 components simultaneously to save time.
|
-
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Fry
bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp,
stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and remove bacon bits with a
slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour bacon fat into a glass
measuring cup and reserve for step 7.
-
Pour water and wine into the
skillet. Add the sausage and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer
and cook sausage until almost done, about 10 minutes, turning half way
through cooking. Remove sausage with tongs and set aside.
-
Stir balsamic vinegar and sugar into
cooking liquid and return to a boil. Reduce until just less than 1/2
cup remains and texture is syrupy, about 10-12 minutes, gently scraping
the bottom of the skillet to loosen bacon remnants.
-
Slice sausage into 1/4-inch slices.
(Don’t be alarmed if sausages are pink in the middle, they’ll finish
cooking in the balsamic syrup).
-
When cooking liquid has reduced to
just less than 1/2 cup, add sliced sausage, and lower heat to medium.
Continue cooking until all the liquid is evaporated and sausage has a
nice brown crust, about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off heat
and remove sausage to small oven-proof dish and place in oven to keep
warm. Carefully wipe out skillet with paper towels.
-
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of
salted water to boil.
-
Pour in 2 tablespoons of reserved
bacon fat to the skillet and heat over medium heat. When hot, chopped
onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
-
Stir in garlic, rosemary and corn.
Sauté a minute, until garlic is fragrant. Stir in 2 cans of diced
tomatoes (with juice), 2 tablespoons of chiffonade* basil and reserved
bacon bits. Reduce heat to simmer while pasta water comes to a boil.
-
Add pasta to boiling water and cook
12 minutes, or according to package directions. When al dente, drain
pasta and return to pot. Pour tomato mixture over drained pasta and
toss.
-
Divide pasta among 8 warm pasta
bowls and garnish with reserved sausage slices, Parmigiano, toasted pine
nuts and remaining 2 tablespoons of basil chiffonade. Serve
immediately.
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Banana Nut Oatmeal Loaf
I've adapted
this recipe from a reader recipe in Cooking Light Magazine. I love
banana bread, but this particular recipe incorporates more fiber with the
addition of whole wheat flour and oats. While it still contains sugar and
some fat (6gm per serving without nuts), it's a far cry from a traditional
banana bread that has twice the fat. The oats help make it a moist bread.
Serves 12
-
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
-
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-
2/3 cup sugar
-
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-
1/4 teaspoon salt
-
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
-
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about
2 large)
-
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk*
-
1/4 cup vegetable oil
-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
-
1/2 cup chopped pecans or
walnuts (optional)
*If you do not have buttermilk on
hand, you can use any kind of low-fat milk, and just stir in a generous
teaspoon of cream of tartar and whisk. The bread won't rise quite as
high, but the flavor is the same. |
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray
a medium (8 X 4-inch) loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk first 7 ingredients (flours
through oats) together
in a large bowl.
3. Whisk next 5 ingredients (banana
through eggs) together in a separate bowl.
4. Pour banana mixture over flour
mixture and stir just to combine, sprinkling the nuts in as you stir.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan
and bake 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes
out clean.
6. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then
turn out on a rack to cool completely.
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Lemon Thyme Poached Salmon Salad
Here's a healthy way to get a couple
of servings of vegetables and lean protein, with the added benefit of Omega 3's
that are so good for our hearts. I selected wild salmon for this recipe,
because it's in season and plentiful. Of course you could substitute
another fish, if you don't like salmon or can't find wild salmon. Halibut
and cod would work just as well.
I serve it
cold, but you could serve it warm or room temperature. I poach the salmon
the day before I plan to serve the salad. You can make the vinaigrette
while the salmon is poaching, then all that is left to do is prepare the
garnishes and serve. It's dinner on the table in 30 minutes. Perfect
for these busy summer days.
Serves 4
|
For the
salmon:
-
1
pound wild salmon fillet, with skin
-
4 cups
cold water
-
Juice
of 1 lemon
-
1/2
bunch scallions, sliced thin (including green part)
-
1
teaspoon black peppercorns
-
4 or 5
springs fresh thyme
-
Kosher
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette:
-
1/2
teaspoon lemon zest
-
Juice
of 2 lemons
-
2
tablespoons honey
-
1-1/2
teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
-
1
teaspoon Dijon mustard
-
1/2
teaspoon minced garlic
-
1/4
teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
-
1/4
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-
1/2
cup extra virgin olive oil
For the
salad:
-
5
ounces mixed baby greens
-
1/2
pound asparagus spears, blanched and chilled
-
1/2
cup sliced radishes
-
1/2
cup sliced cucumber
-
1/4
cup shredded carrots
-
1/4
cup thinly sliced red onion
-
1/2
cup crumbled feta, goat or blue cheese
|
-
Place the salmon fillet in a
skillet with straight sides. Cover with water, lemon juice, scallions,
black peppercorns and thyme sprigs.
-
Bring to a boil. When the
water comes to a full boil, turn off heat and cover pan. Rest for
8 to 10 minutes, depending upon thickness of fillet.
-
Remove fillet from poaching
water to cool. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When cool,
remove skin.
-
Cut into 4 portions, or flake
all of it together and then divide into portions. May be served
chilled, room temperature, or even warm, as soon as it's done.
Vinaigrette:
-
Place the first 8 ingredients
(zest through black pepper) in a blender and puree. With the motor
running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until mixture is blended. May
be made 1 day in advance.
Salad:
Note: To blanch asparagus, bring a
large pot of water to a slow boil. Drop in trimmed asparagus and
cook 1 minute for thin asparagus, and 2 minutes for thick asparagus.
Immediately plunge asparagus into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking
process. When chilled, remove and pat dry. Cut into 2-inch
pieces.
-
Place baby greens, asparagus,
radishes, cucumber, carrots and red onion in a large bowl and toss with
just enough vinaigrette to coat. (You'll have extra vinaigrette to
use for another day.)
-
Top with poached salmon and
drizzle a little vinaigrette on salmon. Top salad with crumbled
cheese and serve.
|
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Tortilla-Crusted Halibut with Tomato-Chile Sauce
Everyone I
talk to wants to cook fish at home, they just don't feel comfortable enough to
do it. Last month I gave you a quick recipe for Orange Chipotle Sea Bass,
and this month, I'm hoping you'll try another quick, favorite fish dish of mine.
I first had something similar to this dish in Livingston, Montana in 1996.
Fish cooks
quicker than chicken or pork (count on about 10 minutes per inch of thickness),
so it's perfect for weeknights. One thing you do need, is a good source of
quality fish. Fresh isn't always the best. Sometimes, frozen fish is
actually fresher than "fresh," especially if you're landlocked like we are
here in Arizona. We're fortunate to have
Trader Joe's grocery
stores here for high-quality frozen fish, and
A. J.'s Fine Foods for
the freshest of fresh fish selections.
Serves 4
-
4
(6-ounce) halibut fillets, or other firm white fish
-
1 cup
crushed tortilla chips
-
1/2
cup Panko* bread crumbs
-
1
teaspoon chile powder
-
1/2
teaspoon ground cumin
-
1/4
teaspoon garlic powder
-
1/4
teaspoon onion powder
-
1/8
teaspoon cayenne (optional)
-
2
tablespoons flour
-
2
large egg whites
-
Vegetable oil for frying
*Panko:
Japanese bread crumbs, found in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores.
Substitute plain bread crumbs if desired.
Tomato-Chile Sauce
-
1 (15
oz.) can diced tomatoes (with juice)
-
1 (4
oz.) can diced green chiles
-
1/2
cup chicken or vegetable stock
-
1
tablespoon corn meal
-
1
teaspoon chile powder
-
1/2
teaspoon ground cumin
-
2
tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
-
Salt
and pepper to taste
|
-
Wash and pat dry halibut.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-
In a shallow baking pan, toss
tortilla chips with the next 6 ingredients (Panko through cayenne).
-
Whisk egg whites together in a
shallow bowl.
-
Lightly dust fillets with flour. Dip fish in egg whites, then
dredge in tortilla chip mixture.
-
Heat enough oil in a large
oven-proof skillet to cover the bottom by 1/8-inch over medium heat.
When hot but not smoking, gently lay fish in skillet.
-
Brown on one side (about 2
minutes) then turn. Turn heat off and place skillet in oven to
finish cooking, about 6-8 minutes for medium temperature (for a 1-inch
thick piece of fish).
-
Remove skillet from oven and
transfer fish to a cutting board (uncovered) to rest for 5 minutes
before serving.
Tomato-Chile Sauce
-
Combine tomatoes, green chiles
and stock in a sauce pan over medium high heat.
-
Bring to a boil and whisk in
corn meal, chile powder and cumin. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook,
stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until sauce thickens slightly.
-
Stir in cilantro if using.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.
-
To serve, ladle about 1/2 cup on
a plate. Top with Tortilla-Crusted Halibut.
|
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Orange Chipotle Sea Bass
Serves 4
|
Marinade:
-
Zest
of 1 orange
-
1/2 cup
orange juice
-
1/4 cup
rice wine vinegar
-
2
tablespoons chopped cilantro (or parsley)
-
2
tablespoons soy sauce
-
2
tablespoons honey
-
1 small
chipotle pepper*, finely chopped
-
1/2
teaspoon adobo sauce*
-
1
teaspoon minced garlic
-
1/2 cup
olive oil
-
Salt
and pepper to taste
*Look for
canned chipotles in adobo sauce in the Mexican aisle of your grocery
store. |
-
Whisk marinade ingredients together.
(I reserve 1/4 a cup for a salad to serve with the sea bass).
-
Pour remaining marinade into a
sealable plastic bag and add the fillets. Seal and toss a few
times. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or up to an
hour in the fridge, turning the bag occasionally.
-
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1
teaspoon of olive oil and swirl pan.
-
Lay fillets in hot, oiled skillet.
Sear on one side for 2 minutes, then turn when fish forms nice, brown
crust. Turn heat off and place skillet in preheated oven.
-
Bake until fish is just done, about
8 to 9 minutes more for a thick (1-1/2 inch) fillet, less for thinner
fillets, more for thicker fillets.
-
Remove fish from pan and cover
loosely with foil. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Note: I love to serve this on
top of a salad, but you could also pair it with wild rice and steamed
broccoli, or try the 5-grain Pilaf in my Cool Mountain Cookbook. |
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Mom's Cornbread
Makes 1
(8-inch) skillet
|
|
1. Pour oil
in an 8-inch ovenproof skillet. Place skillet in the oven and heat
to 425.
2. Mix the first 4 ingredients
together in a large bowl.
3. Stir in an egg and enough milk
to make a pourable batter (like pancake batter).
4. When the oven is preheated,
remove the skillet with an oven mitt and scrape the batter into the pan.
It should sizzle.
5. Bake until the cornbread has
risen and mostly brown on top, about 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, cool a few
minutes then cut into wedges. |
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Real
Deal Margaritas
recipe by Dotty Griffith from
The Contemporary Cowboy Cookbook
-
5
cups fresh lime juice or lime juice from frozen concentrate (not
margarita mix or limeade), chilled
-
1-1/3
cups sugar
-
5
cups tequila, chilled
-
1/3
cup Triple Sec (orange liqueur
-
Ice
cubes
-
Coarse
bar salt
-
Thin
slices of lime
Makes 10 cocktails |
In a large pitcher, combine lime juice
and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar.
Add tequlia, Triple Sec, and ice
cubes. Stir until well-chilled.
If desired, place salt around the
rim of the glass. Moisten edges of small cocktail tumblers,
Margarita or martini glasses. Dip rims in salt to coat.
Strain Margarita cocktail into
salt-rimmed glass over ice or straight up.
Serve immediately. Garish, if
desired, with thin slice of lime.
|
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Chocolate
Walnut Brownies
by Letty Flatt from Chocolate
Snowball
Makes 12 (3-inch) bar cookies.
Letty
says: "A cross between chocolate fudge and chocolate cake, this is my idea
of the perfect brownie. These are delicious served with Vanilla Bean Ice
Cream and Hot Fudge Sauce."
-
5
(1-oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate
-
10
tablespoons (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
-
1-3/4
cups sugar
-
4
eggs
-
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
-
1-1/4
cups all-purpose flour
-
1
teaspoon baking powder
-
3/4
cup plus 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
|
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
F. Brush a 9 X 13-inch pan with melted butter and dust the sides lightly
with flour or spray generously with cooking spray.
Melt the chocolate and the butter
in the top of a double boiler over gently boiling water; the upper pan
should not touch the water.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar,
eggs and vanilla until well blended. Mix in the melted chocolate and
butter.
Sift the flour and baking powder
together. Add to the chocolate batter. Mix well and scrape the sides and
bottom of the bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup of the walnuts. Spread into the
prepared pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts.
Bake until the brownies are set
but still moist in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely before
cutting. |
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Rice
Salad with Pineapple & Raisins --
Makes 4 cups
|
-
1
(8-oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved
-
1/2
cup raisins, golden or regular
-
1/2
cup toasted sliced almonds
-
1/4
cup finely chopped red onion
-
1
tablespoon olive oil
-
1/4
teaspoon ground coriander
-
Salt
and freshly ground pepper to taste.
-
2
tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
|
*** Follow
the directions on the rice package for quantity of liquid. It
might be 2 parts liquid to 1 part rice, or if it's wild rice, it will
likely be 3 parts liquid to 1 part rice. I use vegetable stock
instead of water because adds flavor to the rice.
-
Cook
rice according to package directions and cool.
-
Mix
cooled rice with pineapple chunks and its juice,
along with the remaining ingredients.
-
Serve
chilled or at room temperature.
NOTE:
Salad keeps 3 or 4 days, covered, in the refrigerator. |
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Pumpkin
Cheesecake
with Gingersnap
Crust --Serves
12
|
Crust:
- 7
ounces gingersnap cookies, crushed (to yield 2 cups, about 30
(2-inch cookies)
- 1/2
cup pecans
- 2
tablespoons sugar
- 1/2
cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Filling:
- 2
pounds cream cheese, softened
- 1
cup sugar
- 1-1/2
cups pumpkin puree
- 4
large eggs, room temperature
- 1
teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2
teaspoons cinnamon
- 1
teaspoon allspice
- 1/4
teaspoon each: ground cloves, nutmeg
Topping:
- 1
cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2
tablespoons sugar
- 2
tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 1/2
teaspoon vanilla extract
- Generous
pinch cinnamon
(NOTE: 1 (15-ounce)
can pumpkin puree is enough for the filling and topping.
|
- Heat
oven to 350ºF. Grind the gingersnaps, pecans and sugar together in
a food processor until finely ground.
Dump into a large bowl. Drizzle
with melted butter and toss with a fork until all crumbs are moist.
Press evenly into the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan,
pushing slightly up the sides about ¼ to ½-inch.
- Bake
crust for 10 minutes. Remove
to cool while preparing the filling. Reduce oven heat to 325ºF.
Place a small roasting pan on a rack underneath a rack set in
the center of the oven. Fill
the small roasting pan with hot water.
- Beat
cream cheese and sugar until smooth with the paddle attachment of a
stand mixer, about 2 minutes. Beat
in pumpkin puree, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl once.
- Beat
in the eggs, one at a time until well blended.
Finally, beat in vanilla and spices, stopping to scrape the
bowl once.
- Pour
filling into pre-baked crust. Bake cake rises, and edges are light
golden brown, about 50 minutes.
-
Whisk topping
ingredients together and pour over cheesecake.
Bake another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool 40 minutes.
Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
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Herbed
Soft Polenta -Serves
6
-
4
cups chicken or vegetable stock
-
1
cup cornmeal (polenta (grits) style works best, but stone ground
acceptable)
-
2
slices bacon, chopped
-
1
teaspoon minced garlic
-
1
tablespoon fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, oregano)
-
1
tablespoon soft goat cheese or feta or Boursin
-
1-2
tablespoons half & half or cream (optional)
-
Kosher
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
(NOTE: 1 tablespoon of goat cheese
is plenty to flavor this dish, but if you use feta, Boursin or even
Parmesan, increase the amount to 2 to 3 tablespoons.)
|
-
Bring stock to boil over
medium-high heat in a tall saucepan.
-
Whisk in cornmeal,
gradually. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, whisking frequently, until
cornmeal is thick and creamy, about 10 to 15 minutes (or 5 minutes if
using “quick cooking” style.
-
Meanwhile, cook bacon until
brown and crisp in a small skillet over medium heat.
When crispy, remove from heat. Stir in garlic (it will cook
quickly in the fat). As soon as garlic is mixed in, remove bacon and
garlic with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Reserve bacon
fat for another use. Set aside.
-
When cornmeal is done, stir
in bacon and garlic mixture, fresh herbs and goat cheese. If desired,
stir in half & half or cream. Taste and season with salt and
pepper. Cool 15 to
20 minutes before serving.
|
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Spicy Apple
Cider Glaze
(Makes
about 1 cup, enough for 4-6 servings)
-
4
cups apple cider or juice
-
Scant
½ cup apple sauce (4 oz.)
-
1
teaspoon apple cider vinegar
-
½
teaspoon cornmeal (reg. or stone ground)
-
¼
teaspoon hot sauce (like Tabasco®)
-
Pinch
kosher salt (to taste)
|
-
Bring
first 4 ingredients (cider through cornmeal) to a boil in a medium
saucepan over high heat.
-
Reduce
liquid to ¾ to 1 cup, stirring occasionally. (about 35 minutes.)
-
Remove
from heat and stir in hot sauce and salt.
-
Cool
slightly before serving. Can
be made 2 days in advance. Gently
re-warm before serving.
|
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Sage &
Cornmeal Crusted Catfish
Serves
6
|
Crust:
-
½
cup cornmeal (regular, not stone ground)
-
¼
cup flour
-
1
tablespoon rubbed sage
-
2
teaspoons kosher salt
-
1
teaspoon each: garlic powder & onion powder
-
½
teaspoon cayenne pepper
|
-
Place
fish in a shallow glass baking dish.
Pour buttermilk or *sour milk (mix 1 cup of any kind of milk
with 1 tablespoon vinegar) over fish, turning to coat.
Marinate for 10 minutes.
-
Whisk
crust ingredients together in a small bowl.
Pour into another shallow baking pan.
-
Heat
enough vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
When oil is hot but not smoking, drain fish from buttermilk,
dredge in cornmeal mixture, coating completely.
-
Fry
fish in batches, about 3 minutes on first side, then about 2 minutes
on second side. Serve
warm with Spicy Apple Glaze.
|
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Watermelon
Gazpacho
As with most
soups, this tastes best the next day, but don't keep it more than 3 days.
Serves 6
-
8 cups of 2-inch cubed seedless
watermelon flesh
-
3/4 cup
peeled, seeded and chopped hothouse cucumber
-
3/4
cup chopped red bell pepper
-
1/4
cup chopped red onion
-
1/2
cup cranberry juice cocktail
-
Juice
of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
-
2
tablespoons chopped mint leaves
-
1 jalapeno, minced
-
Kosher salt & ground white pepper
Garnish:
-
1 cup chopped watermelon flesh
(about 1/4-inch cubes)
-
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
-
1/2 cup chopped, seeded (but not peeled)
hothouse cucumber
-
1
tablespoon chopped mint leaves
|
-
Working in
batches, pulse the 8 cups of watermelon in a food processor until almost
smooth. Place in a large mixing bowl.
-
Pulse
cucumber, bell pepper and onion until finely chopped. Place in the mixing
bowl with the watermelon. Stir in the cranberry juice, lime juice and mint.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill.
-
Just
before serving, toss the garnish ingredients together. To serve, ladle about
a cup of watermelon gazpacho into a chilled bowl or cup. Sprinkle a generous
tablespoon or so of the garnish mixture on top of soup.
|
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Cinnamon
& Honey Red Plums
I use a very
special cinnamon, called Ceylon, that you can purchase from Penzeys
Spices on-line. It's like no other cinnamon I've ever experienced --
complex yet delicate, citrusy yet floral, and hauntingly delicious. I use
it exclusively now whenever a recipe calls for cinnamon. Try it, you'll be
smitten, like me.
Serves 4
|
Cinnamon & Honey Red Plums |
|
8 ripe, red plums (just over a pound) |
|
2 tablespoons honey |
|
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon |
-
Wash and
dry plums. Cut in half lengthwise. Remove the pit and then cut
the halves into 1/2-inch wedges. Place in a mixing bowl.
-
Drizzle
plums with honey and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon. Toss
gently to coat plums. Taste and add more cinnamon if desired.
-
Serve at
room temperature or slightly chilled. Keeps for 2 days, covered, in
the refrigerator.
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Mustard
& Beer Potato Salad
In honor of
the 4th of July and summer picnics, here's a potato salad recipe with a twist --
a little beer thrown in for flavor. It's more tart than traditional
mustard potato salads because it's dressed with a vinaigrette instead of
mayonnaise. It's perfect with smoky sweet barbecue chicken or ribs.
This potato
salad may be served warm, but it's also delicious cold. It does contain
sour cream, so it's important to keep it out of that danger zone (temperature of
41 degrees to 140 degrees). So serve it really chilled (below 41 degrees)
or really warm, above 140 degrees. You can make it one day in advance and
it will keep refrigerated for about 3 days in total.
Serves 6
|
Mustard Beer Potato Salad |
|
1-1/4 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and
quartered |
|
4 slices thick-cut bacon, finely chopped |
|
1/4 cup beer (preferably an ale, or dark
beer) |
|
2 tablespoons Dijon or spice brown
mustard |
|
2 tablespoons lemon juice or white wine
vinegar |
|
1 teaspoon sugar |
|
1/3 cup olive oil |
|
1/4 cup sour cream |
|
3/4 cup finely chopped celery |
|
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion |
|
1/4 cup chopped chives or parsley |
|
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper |
-
Steam
potatoes until fork tender, but not falling apart (might take about 15 to 20
minutes).
-
(Tip: It's
easier to chop bacon that is partially frozen) While potatoes are
steaming, fry bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper
towels to drain. Save bacon grease for another use or discard.
-
Whisk
beer, mustard, lemon juice and sugar together until smooth. Whisk in
olive oil slowly. Whisk in sour cream until smooth.
-
Drain
cooked potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and toss with just enough
mustard vinaigrette to coat but not drown the potatoes. Toss in
celery, red onions and herbs. Taste and season with more salt and
pepper if necessary.
-
If serving
warm, sprinkle with bacon pieces. If serving cold, wait to sprinkle
bacon until ready to serve.
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Grilled
Apple & Sausage Kebabs
This is one of
four recipes I developed for a June 4th article that will appear in the food
section in the Arizona Republic. I think it's a smashing way to start off
the grilling season. Serve it as an appetizer or over a bed of wild rice
for an entree.
The Apple
Thyme Glaze is also good brushed on chicken and pork just before it finishing
grilling.
Serves 6
|
Apple & Sausage Kebabs |
|
1-1/2 pounds cooked sausage links (like
Aidells’ Chicken and Apple) |
|
5 Golden Delicious apples |
|
3 cups water |
|
Juice of half a lemon |
|
1 small red onion (about 4-5 ounces) |
|
18 (12-inch bamboo skewers) |
|
|
|
Apple Thyme Glaze (makes 1
cup) |
|
2 cups apple juice |
|
1 cup apple brandy (Applejack or
Calvados) |
|
4 tablespoons honey |
|
2 tablespoons minced shallot |
|
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves |
-
Soak skewers in water for 30
minutes. Cut sausage links crosswise into 1-inch rounds.
Core but don’t peel apples. Cut
into 8 equal wedges. Cover apple
wedges with water in a large bowl and stir in lemon juice.
Set aside.
-
Peel onion cut off root and
stem ends. Cut remaining onion
into 8 equal wedges, stem to root.
-
Heat the grill to
medium-high (375-400º F.). Thread ingredients on bamboo skewers: sausage,
apple wedge, one layer of onion wedge, and repeat once more so each skewer
has 2 of each ingredient. Finish
skewer with 1 more sausage round.
-
Brush skewers lightly with
Apple-Thyme Glaze. Grill 3-4
minutes. Turn skewers over and brush again with glaze.
Grill 3-4 more minutes. Brush once more with Apple Glaze just before
removing skewers from grill. Serve
3 skewers per person.
To make the Apple Thyme Glaze:
-
Bring apple juice, brandy,
honey and shallot to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Vigorously simmer until liquid is reduced to 1 cup, about 20 to 25
minutes.
-
Stir in thyme leaves and
remove from heat to cool. May be made up to 3 days in advance.
Store covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before
using.
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Mango
& Spinach Salad
This is an
easy brunch salad, perfect for Mother's Day. The vinaigrette makes enough
to marinate chicken breasts or swordfish if you want to add some protein to the
meal. Spinach is a great source of Vitamin A, Iron, and Calcium.
You'll need 2
mangos for this recipe, about 1/2 of one for the vinaigrette and 1 for the
salad. Search out the exquisite Champagne Mango from Mexico. It's
golden yellow in color, slightly smaller than the red and green common mangos,
and much sweeter with less stringy fibers.
Serves 5
|
Mango Vinaigrette (makes 1 cup) |
|
1/2 cup chopped mango |
|
1/4 cup champagne or white wine
vinegar |
|
1 tablespoon sugar |
|
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard |
|
1 teaspoon minced red onion |
|
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt |
|
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper |
|
1/2 cup olive oil |
|
Salad |
|
5 ounces baby spinach |
|
1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced |
|
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion |
|
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese |
|
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds |
1. Place
the vinaigrette ingredients, except olive oil in a blender and puree. With
the blender running, slowing drizzle in the oil. Vinaigrette will keep for
a week in the refrigerator.
2.
Wash and spin dry the spinach. Place in a large bowl along with the
remaining salad ingredients. Toss with 1/4 cup (or more to your taste) of
Mango Vinaigrette.
NOTE:
To toast slivered almonds, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread almonds
on a sheet pan and bake until toasted, about 5 minutes. Cool.
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Quick
& Easy Barbecue Chicken Salad
You're going
to laugh at how easy this is and how un-gourmet it is, coming from one who
specializes in 5-star cuisine. But I was hungry and busy so I threw
together some ingredients I had on hand, and thought it was delicious enough to
share with you. I love barbecue flavor and my favorite store-bought
brand is Bull's Eye, hickory flavor.
Serves 4
|
2 (12.5 oz.) cans white chicken meat |
|
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise |
|
3 tablespoons barbecue sauce |
|
3 tablespoons bottled salsa (I
like Frontera Tomatillo salsa) |
|
1/2 cup chopped red onion |
|
1/2 cup chopped celery |
|
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans |
|
Freshly ground black pepper |
1. Drain
the chicken meat and place in a large bowl.
2.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and season with pepper to taste.
3.
Serve on a bed of lettuce or on toasted hamburger buns. Top with
sliced jalapeno cheese if you have some.
NOTE:
I just ate it right out of the bowl, no lettuce, no bread. Boy was it
good!
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Soy
Ginger Pepper-Crusted Ahi Tuna
I made this
tuna for my friend Christi when she was visiting recently. We paired it
with Ginger Whipped Sweet Potatoes (recipe from The Great Ranch Cookbook) and a
colorful slaw made with red cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper and scallions.
The directions call for just searing the tuna so that the inside is still rare
and dark pink. I like to use a five-peppercorn blend that has black,
green, pink, and white peppercorns plus all-spice berries.
Serves 6
|
6 ahi tuna steaks (about 6 oz. each) |
|
1/2 cup sherry |
|
1/4 cup soy sauce |
|
2 tablespoons peeled, grated fresh
ginger |
|
1 tablespoon minced garlic |
|
2 scallions, thinly sliced (both
green and white parts) |
|
Juice of 1 lime |
|
|
|
3 tablespoons whole peppercorns,
crushed |
|
2 tablespoons sesame seeds |
|
2 teaspoons kosher salt |
|
1-1/2 tablespoons peanut oil |
|
|
1. Whisk
the sherry through lime juice together in a bowl. Place the tuna steaks in
a 9 X 13 glass pan and pour the marinade over the tuna, turning the steaks to
coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning the
steaks once. Don't go over 30 minutes or the lime will start to
"cook" the tuna.
2.
After 30 minutes, mix together the crushed peppercorns (I use a coffee
grinder to crush the peppercorns), sesame seeds and salt in bowl. Remove
the tuna from the refrigerator and lightly coat the tuna on all sides with the
pepper mixture. You don't want to heavily coat the tuna or it will be
too spicy.
3.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat until very, very hot. A
drop of water dropped on the surface should "dance" and evaporate
almost immediately. Add the peanut oil.
4.
Place the peppercorn-dusted tuna steaks in the searing hot pan.
Give the pan a gentle shake so the steaks do not stick. After 1-1/2
minutes, turn the steaks and sear on the other side for about 1 minute.
Remove from the pan and serve.
NOTE:
These steaks make great leftovers. Just wrap in plastic and store in the
refrigerator for 1 or 2 days. Slice the tuna into strips and serve cold,
with a green salad.
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Divine
Potato Gratin without Cream!
I've adapted
this recipe from Fine Cooking. I was intrigued by a potato gratin that
didn't call for cream. How could it be that good based only on chicken
stock? Well, it does have some butter, and I've added some bacon (had to)
and chives. I made this for Christmas Eve dinner with my neighbors, who
still rave about how delicious they were.
Serves 6 to 8
|
6 slices bacon, finely chopped |
|
2 large yellow onions (1#) |
|
Kosher salt |
|
1-1/2 cups low-salt canned chicken broth |
|
1 tablespoon butter |
|
3-1/2 pounds russet potatoes
(about 6 medium) |
|
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves |
|
2 teaspoons fresh chopped chives |
|
Freshly ground black pepper |
|
1 cup lightly packed grated
Gruyere (1.5 oz) |
|
3 tablespoons freshly grated
Parmigiano Reggiano |
|
|
1. Heat
the oven to 400 degrees. Peel
and cut the onions, thinly, from stem to root. I use a mandoline and cut
them about 1/4-inch thick.
2.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy.
Remove bacon with slotted spoon and reserve. Set aside some bacon to
garnish the top. Drain all but 1 tablespoon
of bacon grease from the pan.
3.
Add the onions to the bacon grease. Season
with salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions turn translucent and soften
completely, about 10 minutes.
4.
Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions
darken uniformly to a light brown, about 4 minutes.
5.
Carefully add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom.
Remove from heat.
6.
Spray an oval baking pan (at least 2-1/2 quart capacity) with non-stick
spray. Cut butter into 1/8-inch
cubes.
7.
Peel the potatoes, cut into disks about 1/8 to 1/6 inch thick.
8.
Layer: Potatoes, 1/3 of the
onions using slotted spoon, 1/3 of herbs, ¼ teaspoon of salt, some pepper and
about 1-1/2 teaspoons of butter chunks.
9.
Arrange two more layers: potatoes, onions, herbs and bacon, salt, pepper
and butter.
10.
Pour the remaining broth over 3rd layer.
For 4th layer, use remaining potatoes and butter.
Sprinkle on the gruyere and parmigiano.
11.
Bake until the top layer is golden brown and the potatoes are tender when
pierced with a knife and most of the broth has been absorbed, about 50 minutes.
Let cool 20 minutes before cutting.
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Michael's
Smoky Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotles
My late,
great mentor, Michael McLaughlin, was a genius when it came to extraordinary
recipes using ordinary ingredients. This delicious soup marries the creamy
sweet potato with the spicy smoked jalapeno - a chipotle. The recipe is in
The New American Kitchen, now out of print, but if you search the
Internet, you can find it. It was Michael's favorite cookbook out of the
20 or so that he wrote.
Serves 4
|
4 tablespoons unsalted butter |
|
2 cups finely chopped yellow onion |
|
1 leek, white part only, trimmed,
cleaned & chopped |
|
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped |
|
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme |
|
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg |
|
2 large (1 pound) sweet potatoes, peeled
& cut into 1/2-inch chunks |
|
2-1/2 cups canned chicken broth or
homemade stock |
|
1/2 cup half-and-half |
|
Salt |
|
1/2 cup sour cream, whisked until smooth
& shiny |
|
3 to 4 tablespoons of adobo from canned
chipotle chiles* |
|
2 green onions, trimmed and sliced thin |
-
Melt the butter in a
medium-size saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, leek, garlic,
thyme, and nutmeg. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the
vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
-
Add the potatoes and chicken
broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover, and
simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, about 3
minutes.
-
Cool slightly and then puree
it in a food processor. Stir in the half-and-half and adjust the
seasoning. The soup can be prepared to this point up to 2 days
ahead. Cool completely, cover, and refrigerate.
-
Warm the soup over low heat,
stirring often, until steaming. Ladle into bowls. Place a dollop
of sour cream in the center of each bowl of soup. Drizzle the adobo
sauce over each serving to taste, sprinkle with the green onions, and serve
immediately.
NOTE: Look for chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce
on the Mexican food aisle of your grocery store. Once opened, store the
chiles and the adobo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up
to 1 month.
Recipe copyrighted by Michael McLaughlin,
1990
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Danny's
Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
My best
friend from college, Danny Taylor, made this bread for me the last time he came
to see us (which was way too long ago). I don't know where he got it, but
now it's a staple in our house around the holidays. Hope you like it as
much as I do.
Makes 2 loaves
|
2-1/4 cups flour |
|
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice |
|
2 teaspoons baking powder |
|
1/2 teaspoon salt |
|
2 eggs |
|
1 cup sugar |
|
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree |
|
1/2 cup vegetable oil |
|
1 cup frozen (fresh) cranberries |
-
Heat the oven to 350 degrees
F. Mix the first 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl.
Set aside.
-
Beat the eggs with the
sugar, pumpkin and oil.
-
Pour the egg mixture over
the flour mixture and stir just to combine, careful not to over mix.
When it's just about incorporated, fold in the cranberries.
-
Spray 2 loaf pans with
nonstick spray. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake
until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, with just a few
moist crumbs attached, about 50 to 60 minutes.
-
Cool 5 minutes the turn
loaves out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
NOTE: Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon,
allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace and cloves. If you want to make your own,
use 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon each of
ginger, mace and cloves. If you don't have mace (it's the outer shell of a
nutmeg) don't worry, just omit it.
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Simple
Baked Acorn Squash
Here's
a quick, easy way to take advantage of one of the most common varieties, the
Acorn Squash. It's named Acorn because it is shaped similar to the acorn
nut. The most common variety is dark green, and weighs anywhere from
three-fourth's of a pound to over 1 pound. I tend to like the smaller
ones, and 1 squash can feed 2 people.
Serves 4
|
2 acorn squashes, about 3/4 pound each |
|
4 teaspoons brown sugar or maple syrup |
|
4 teaspoons butter |
|
Cinnamon |
|
Ground nutmeg |
|
Salt and freshly ground white pepper |
|
Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
-
Heat the oven to 350 degrees
F. Cut each squash in half, horizontally. Scoop out seeds. Trim
the ends so that they will stand upright, cut-side up for serving (although
you bake them cut-side down.)
-
Place the squash halves, cut
side down, on a lined baking sheet. Pour 1/4 cup water into the pan.
Bake until tender, about 40 to 45 minutes.
-
Remove from oven, and using
tongs, turn cut side up. In each squash half, place 1 teaspoon brown
sugar or syrup, 1 teaspoon butter, dash of cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg, and
season with salt and pepper. Serve.
NOTE: A dash is less than 1/8 a teaspoon, and a
pinch is even a little less than a dash.
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Parmesan
& Artichoke Chicken Salad
Perfect as
a salad served over hearts of romaine, this Italian-inspired chicken dish is
equally good piled on a chewy Ciabatta roll. This is one of six recipes
I'll be teaching on October 10 at the Scottsdale Sur La Table. To make it
really simple, purchase a roasted chicken at the grocery store, along with a jar
of roasted and peeled red bell peppers.
Serves 6
|
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded (1 small
roasted chicken) |
|
1 (12-ounce) jar marinated artichokes,
drained, trimmed and roughly chopped |
|
1 roasted red bell pepper, peeled seeded
and chopped (about 3/4 cup) |
|
1/2 cup chopped celery |
|
1/2 cup chopped red onion |
|
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts |
|
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (the good
stuff!) |
|
Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
|
Vinaigrette: |
|
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar |
|
2 teaspoons minced red onion |
|
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic |
|
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard |
|
1/2 teaspoon sugar |
|
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped herbs (like
oregano, parsley, etc.) |
|
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan |
|
Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
|
1/3 cup olive oil |
-
Make the vinaigrette first,
by placing the first 8 ingredients (red wine vinegar through black pepper)
in a blender. Blend until creamy, about 30 seconds. With the
motor running, slowing drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust
seasonings. Set aside while you assemble the salad.
-
Toss the chicken with the
remaining ingredients (artichokes through black pepper). Stir in the
vinaigrette Taste and adjust seasonings.
-
Serve chilled or at room
temperature over dressed hearts of romaine or other lettuce, or use as a
sandwich filler on your favorite bread. The chewy Ciabatta is a
favorite of mine.
NOTE: Keeps covered in the refrigerator for 4 days.
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Tomato
& Green Chile Sauce
I
especially like this sauce over grilled halibut or chicken
Makes 1-1/2 cups
|
1 tablespoon olive oil |
|
1 cup chopped onion |
|
1 teaspoon minced garlic |
|
1 (14-1/2 oz.) can tomatoes, drained |
|
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles |
|
1 cup chicken stock or broth |
|
1 teaspoon ground cumin |
|
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to
taste |
-
Heat olive oil in a saucepan
over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about
2 minutes.
-
Stir in tomatoes and green
chiles, and simmer about 5 minutes.
-
Pour in chicken stock and
bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in cumin. Reduce heat to
medium and simmer until sauce is reduced by 1/3, about 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
NOTE: You can make this sauce in advance and just
reheat before using. Keeps covered in the refrigerator for 4 days.
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Peanut
Butter Cup Smoothie
Do you love peanut butter as much as I do?
I am a huge fan. So it's only natural that one of the first smoothies I
experimented with was a peanut butter one.
Makes 2 cups
1/2 cup skim milk or soy milk
1/2 of a medium banana
1/2 cup low fat (or non-fat) frozen vanilla yogurt
3 tablespoons creamy or chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (such as Hershey's)
2 teaspoons malted milk powder (optional, but it does taste better with it)
1/2 cup crushed ice (6 to 8) ice cubes
Place all ingredients in the blender in the
order listed. Blend until smooth. Drink up!
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to top)
Grilled
Pineapple with Balsamic Syrup
I love grilled fruits, and pineapple is one of the easiest
fruits to grill. The balsamic syrup recipe is under this month's cooking
clues.
Serves 6
1 (3 to 3-1/2 pound) fresh pineapple
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic syrup
Fresh cracked black pepper
1. Heat grill to medium (350 degrees F). Peel pineapple
and cut into 1-inch slices. Cut the core out of each slice with a small
cookie cutter or apple corer.
2. Brush both sides of pineapple slices with olive oil.
Grill until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
3. Remove from grill and place on a plate. Drizzle with
balsamic syrup and season with black pepper (yes, it really is good!)
Note: you could also add a scoop of vanilla or butter
pecan ice cream.
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Amaretto
Kissed Strawberries
Strawberries love liqueur, and some
combinations seem made for each other, like this recipe with almond flavored
Amaretto. Grand Marnier is another lovely combination as is hazelnut
flavored Frangelico.
Serve these luscious macerated
berries in a pretty chilled wine glass, or as a topping to toasted angel food
cake or a moist, homemade pound cake.
Serves 4
4 cups (about 1 pound) sliced
strawberries
3 to 4 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
3 to 4 tablespoons almond slivers
1/2 cup whipped cream
Fresh mint (optional)
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Toss strawberries with amaretto and set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast almond slivers
until lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cool.
3. To serve, toss soaked
strawberries with toasted almond slivers and spoon evenly into 4 chilled wine
glasses. Top with a couple tablespoons of whipped cream and a sprig of
fresh mint.
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Hummingbird
Cake
Makes 1 (10-inch) Bundt cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3 large eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Powdered sugar for dusting
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir
together the first 6 ingredients (flour through cloves).
2. Beat the butter with an electric
mixer until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
3. Beat bananas, crushed pineapple
and it's liquid, and vanilla into the egg mixture.
4. Fold flour mixture into banana
mixture, and mix until just incorporated. Fold in pecans.
5. Spray Bundt pan with non-stick
spray (or grease with butter). Pour cake batter into pan and smooth
surface.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted
in the center comes out mostly clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. The top
will be golden and the sides will pull away from the pan.
7. Cool 10 minutes then turn
out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered
sugar just before serving.
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Port
Wine Sauce
Makes 1 cup
1 cup port wine
4 or 5 sprigs of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc.)
1 cup Custom Master’s Touch Sauce Demi-glace
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1. Pour the wine into a small saucepan. Toss in
the herbs. Place pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high.
[CAUTION: alcohol, including this port wine, is extremely flammable. Do
not expose the wine to a direct heat source, like an open flame from gas heat.
Use extreme care in cooking with any alcohol.]
2. Reduce the wine until only a scant 1/4 cup
remains, about 10 minutes. Pour in the demi-glace and stir. Bring to
a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer about 5 minutes. Strain
sauce and season with salt and pepper. May be made 3 days in advance.
Store covered in the refrigerator.
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Cocoa-Coated
Truffles
Makes 28-30 (1-inch) balls
8 ounces high quality semi-sweet chocolate (like
Ghirardelli)
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1/2 cup cocoa
1. Chop the chocolate in little pieces and place
in a large bowl.
2. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan
over medium heat. When it reaches a boil, remove from heat and pour over
the chocolate. Stir once and let stand 3 minutes.
3. Stir the chocolate and cream until all the
chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until the
mixture is almost hard, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a small ice-cream scoop or melon baller, scoop chocolate into smooth,
round, 1-inch balls (Use kitchen gloves to roll by hand). Roll in
cocoa and place on the baking sheet. Refrigerate chocolate if it gets too
warm.
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Caesar-type
Dressing
Here is the "real-deal", and I'm
honored to share with you a recipe from one of my Prescott, AZ cooking class
friends, Carver Smith. If you are concerned about consuming raw eggs,
I found that you can leave the egg out of this recipe without compromising the
taste.
Makes 3/4 cup (enough for 6-8 servings)
2 anchovy fillets (drained and patted dry),
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons White Worcestershire sauce*
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
5-10 drops hot sauce (like Tabasco)
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup olive oil
4+ tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground black pepper
Kosher salt
By hand (have all your ingredients
measured out and in front of you before you begin:
1. Mash anchovies with fork until smooth and paste-like. Press garlic
through a garlic press and mash into anchovy paste.
2. Stir in mustard, the two Worcestershire
sauces, red wine vinegar, and hot sauce until blended.
3. Whisk in the egg yolk with the fork.
Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking with the fork. Stir in the
Parmesan cheese, adding more if you like to thicken.
4. Taste and season with pepper and salt if
desired.
In the blender, omitting the egg yolks:
1. Mince the anchovies and garlic together and add to the blender along with the
mustard, the Worcestershire sauces, and the red wine vinegar. Blend
on high until smooth.
2. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in
the olive oil. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and taste. Add salt and
pepper if desired.
*White Worcestershire is made by Lea &
Perrins, and is called "Worcestershire for Chicken". It is
lighter in color and milder tasting than the dark brown, original
Worcestershire. If you cannot locate it at your store, substitute white
wine vinegar.
This dressing will keep in the refrigerator,
covered for about 3 days.
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Marilyn's
Sugar-Coated Mixed Nuts
Those of you that read my books like novels will
know who Marilyn is. In case you don't, let me tell you a little about my
neighbor. She's a bundle of energy. She's a gourmet cook, a talented
weaver, a fun grandmother and now, a drama queen. She spent the summer in
northern Arizona working with a theater group and now she's hooked (and they are
hooked on her, too). Marilyn was a huge help to me with both books during
my recipe testing and I'm sure she'll be just as involved as we go through book
number three.
Every Christmas, Marilyn makes big batches of
these nuts and puts them in different packages to give to neighbors. Last
year, she put them in a huge, and I mean gigantic, millennium wine glass with a
big red bow. Tins work, too, as do decorative plastic sacks. A word
of warning, though, these nuts are addictive.
Makes 8 cups
2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) pecan halves
2 (10-ounce) cans of deluxe mixed nuts (without peanuts)
2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick), melted
1. Heat the oven to 225 degrees F.
Spread the pecan halves and deluxe mixed nuts on two baking sheets with low
sides (like a jelly roll pan). Roast for 15 minutes. Remove nuts
from oven and increase temperature to 350 degrees F. I placed my racks in
the 2 center slots. Don't use the top or bottom slot.
2. Lightly beat egg whites until foamy,
about 30 seconds, in a large bowl. Beat in sugar and salt until smooth,
about another 30 seconds.
3. Fold roasted nuts into egg white
mixture. Pour the melted butter evenly between the two baking sheets you
used to roast the nuts. Divide the nut/egg white mixture evenly between
the two sheets and stir.
4. Roast the nuts in the oven for 20 to 25
minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes, and rotating the pans between the 2
racks. Watch out, they burn easily. Remove and cool, stirring
occasionally to keep the nuts from sticking to each other.
NOTE: I added a pinch of cayenne (more
like 1/8 teaspoon) along with the salt for a little kick. The nuts will
keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 weeks.
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Roasted
Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Grand Marnier
That ooey-gooey, marshmallow-covered sweet
potato dish is standard fare at my family's Thanksgiving table. I loved it
as a kid, and my niece and nephews still do. But now I prefer a more
grown-up version, still sweet, but brushed with the luscious orange taste of
Grand Marnier and an earthy crunch of toasted pecans. If you have children
at your Thanksgiving table, you might want to serve both versions. I'm
sure the adults will appreciate this new twist on an old classic.
Serves 8
3 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
Zest of one orange
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Grand Marnier, or other orange flavored liqueur
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Peel sweet potatoes and cut lengthwise, then cut each piece into 3 or 4 even
chunks. Boil for 4 minutes. Drain and place in a buttered 9 X
13-inch baking pan.
2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the
remaining ingredients, except pecans, in a small bowl until blended. Pour
over sweet potatoes and sprinkle with pecans. Cover and bake 20 minutes.
3. Remove cover and bake an additional 20
minutes, or until liquid is syrupy and potatoes are very tender.
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Amaretto-Kissed
Spaghetti Squash
You can roast the squash the day before, just be
sure to cool completely, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the
refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with step 3.
6 servings
1 large spaghetti squash (about 3 pounds)
1 tablespoon almond oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons Amaretto (almond-flavored) liqueur
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted*
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Halve (lengthwise) and remove the seeds from the squash.
2. Bake the squash on a baking sheet, cut side up, until tender, about 40 to 45
minutes. Cool slightly and scrape the flesh into a bowl with a fork.
3. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add almond oil and butter.
When hot, add squash and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4 Pour in almond liqueur and cook until it almost evaporates. Stir in brown
sugar and simmer until brown sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with
toasted sliced almonds.
*to toast almond slices, heat the oven to 350
degrees F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes
or until lightly golden.
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Sautéed
Apples
These luscious, sweet and spicy apples can be served many ways. You could
spoon them warm over vanilla ice cream, or pecan caramel ice cream. You
could top buttermilk pancakes with them. Or you could even serve them as a
side dish to baked or grilled pork chops or chicken. Use your imagination
and enjoy!
Serves 4
3 large cooking apples, about 1-1/2 pounds (like
Golden Delicious or Granny Smith)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of ground nutmeg
1. Peel, core and slice apples into
1/4-inch slices.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over
medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, water and lemon juice and cook for
about 2 minutes, or until the brown sugar starts to dissolve.
3. Stir in the apples, tossing to coat with the
sugar mixture. Cook, stirring often, until the apples begin to soften,
about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the rum if using, and the spices and cook
until the apples are tender, about another 5 to 8 minutes. Serve warm or
at room temperature.
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top)
Smoked Trout
Hash
from Sundance Resort in Utah (yes, that Sundance!)
If you don't have a source for smoked trout, you
could substitute 6 ounces of chopped smoked salmon, or 8 ounces of cooked,
chopped chicken breast.
6 Servings
1 large baking potato, washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1-1/2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
3 fillets of smoked trout (about 12 ounces total)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 eggs (2 eggs per person, cooked any style:
fried, poached, scrambled, etc.)
1. Par cook the potato by either boiling it in
salted water for about 10 minutes, or baking it in a 350 degree F. oven for 30
minutes or zapping in a microwave, on high, for 4 to 5 minutes. Cool, peel
and then chop into 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 1-1/2 cups of
chopped potato.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the par
cooked potatoes. Cook until brown on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Stir in red onions and scallions, cooking until the red onions start to turn
translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Stir in corn kernels and cook another 2 minutes or until corn is cooked.
5. Flake the smoke trout into the skillet and stir until heated through, about 1
to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped
parsley.
6. Place 1/2 cup or so on a warmed plate and top with 2 eggs, cooked any style.
Repeat for each guest.
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Gwen's
Guacamole
I don't use a recipe, I just start with the basic ingredients and then taste
and adjust as I go along. But I did write these proportions down the
last time I made it as a guideline for you. I only ask one thing.
Please, please don't put tomatoes in my guacamole. Tomatoes have so much
water in them they dilute the flavor of the avocado.
Serves 6
3 large, ripe Haas avocados
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (remove seeds and white veins if you don't like the
heat)
2 tablespoons rough chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (less if using regular salt)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Blue corn chips or other tortilla chips for dipping
1. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the seed. Use a
spoon and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. I like to mix it with
my hands, but I put on disposable kitchen gloves. Leave some chunks of the
avocado for a rustic texture. If you don't like to play with your food
like I do, then use a potato masher, making sure to leave some chunks.
3. Taste and add more lime juice or salt and pepper if necessary. Taste
with your serving chip, though, as it likely has salt on it and you may not need
any more salt in the guacamole.
4. Let rest for 30 minutes for the flavors to marry. To store,
spread guacamole surface smooth and flat. Place a piece of plastic wrap
directly on the surface (this keeps it from turning brown). Cover the bowl
again with a lid or more plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Keeps
for 2 to 3 days, if you don't eat it all in the first sitting like I do.
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Spicy
Tomato Vinaigrette
I love this vinaigrette over baby spinach with
crumbled feta, thinly sliced red onion, and toasted pine nuts.
Yield = 1-1/2 cups
2/3 cup tomato or vegetable juice
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1. Whisk all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl, or blend in a blender.
2. Whisk in olive oil very slowly, until the mixture thickens, or if using a
blender, drizzle olive oil in while the motor is running.. Taste and adjust
seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Let sit for at least 1/2 hour up to overnight for best flavor. If storing
overnight, cover and place in the refrigerator.
[NOTE: Vinaigrette will keep 1 week, covered in the refrigerator.]
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Pecan and
Brie Quesadillas
4 servings
3 ounces Brie Cheese, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
2 flour tortillas, 8-inch
2 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1. Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla.
2. Top with nuts and parsley. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently.
3. Cook quesadillas in a lightly greased skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3
minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Cut into wedges and garnish with sour cream and red bell pepper.
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Herbed
Dijon Chicken
This recipe is from my private collection. I make this at least
once a month and I love to serve to to guests with a fresh steamed green
vegetable, like asparagus and wild rice. There is a wonderful wild rice
recipe in The Great Ranch Cookbook that has dried
cherries and toasted pecans that would be perfect with this dish.
4 Servings
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence*
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix bread crumbs, herbs, salt and pepper together and pile onto a plate.
3. Brush 1 side of each chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Press
Dijon side of chicken into the herbed bread crumbs, using your hands to pat and
pack the crumbs.
4. Heat large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add butter and olive
oil. When hot, place chicken breasts, breadcrumb side down in skillet.
Cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Turn and place skillet in the
oven. Roast until done, about 12-13 minutes.
*Herbs de Provence is a dried herb blend available in fine grocery stores.
It contains thyme, marjoram, rosemary, basil, fennel, sage and lavender.
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Topnotch
Creamy Spa Dressing
Think of this recipe from the Spa at Topnotch in Stowe, Vermont as a cross
between a ranch and a traditional Caesar dressing. It's featured in
The
Cool Mountain Cookbook and the Spa serves it with Romaine lettuce.
Makes 2-1/4 cups
2 cups lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 cup buttermilk (1% fat)
1 tablespoon champagne or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
2-3 anchovies, rinsed in warm water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kosher salt
1. Place all ingredients except salt (cottage cheese through salt) in a
blender or food processor and process until smooth. Taste and add salt if
desired. Chill before serving. Dressing may be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
2 tablespoons per serving
30 calories/1 gram of fat
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Chocolate
Volcano with Fresh Raspberry Coulis
This molten chocolate cake is from Stein Eriksen Lodge, in Park City, Utah,
one of 20 top-rated ski lodges featured in The Cool Mountain
Cookbook.
5 servings
14 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 6 tablespoons)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon of butter
5 (8-ounce) ramekins
Garnish (optional):
Fresh raspberries
Mint sprigs
Vanilla ice cream
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Butter 5 (8-ounce)
ramekins. Set aside.
2. Melt the 14 tablespoons of butter and chocolate in a double boiler over
simmering water. Stir until melted, remove from heat and cool slightly.
3. Beat eggs and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl until thick and lemon-colored
(I used an electric mixer but you may do this by hand). Add powdered sugar to
eggs and beat. Add flour and beat again until smooth. Beat in chocolate mixture.
Divide mixture evenly among the 5 buttered ramekins.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops just start to crack (too much
cracking is a sign of overcooking). It should be slightly undercooked in the
middle. Let stand for exactly 8 minutes. Turn upside down on a serving plate and
remove mold. Serve immediately with Raspberry Coulis. Garnish with fresh
raspberries and, if you wish, a scoop of vanilla ice cream (optional).
Raspberry Coulis
2 cups
1 (12-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1. Place thawed raspberries, sugar and orange juice
in a blender and blend until mixture is pureed.
2. Remove and strain through a sieve to remove seeds. I put it in a squeeze
bottle to squirt designs on the plate. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1
week.
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Biscochitos
- excerpted from The Cool Mountain Cookbook
15 to 20 cookies, depending on cutter size
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds
Cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling
1. Beat the sugar, butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Beat in the
egg yolk, then the milk, brandy and vanilla. The mixture will look curdled.
2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and anise seeds. Fold the flour
mixture into the butter mixture until well mixed.
3. Divide the dough in half and roll into two logs. Wrap each log in plastic
wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly flour a work surface and remove 1 log from
the refrigerator. Pat or roll dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with cookie
cutters and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Place on an ungreased sheet pan.
Gather up the scraps and roll again to 1/2-inch thickness and cut more cookies.
Repeat the process with the other refrigerated dough, rolling and cutting twice.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until puffy and turning golden on the bottom.
Remove and cool 2 minutes. Remove with a spatula to a cooling rack and cool
completely.
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Cranberry
Scones -
from
The
Cool Mountain Cookbook
8 generous scones
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar (reserve 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit
1 3/4 cups heavy cream (reserve 3 tablespoons)
1. Preheat oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir together the flour, sugar (less the 2 tablespoons reserved for the top),
baking powder, salt and cranberries.
3. Make a well in the center and pour all but the 3 reserved tablespoons of
cream in the center and stir just to moisten.
4. Gather the dough up and place it on a lightly floured surface. Pat into a
circle about 7 inches in diameter and about 1 inch high. With a long knife, cut
the dough into 8 equal wedges, but don’t separate the wedges.
5. Brush the tops with the reserved 3 tablespoons of cream and sprinkle with the
2 remaining tablespoons of sugar. Carefully lift the circle and place on the
parchment-lined baking sheet. I used two large spatulas to lift the dough.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes
out with just a few moist crumbs attached. The top and sides will be lightly
golden.
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Bosc
Pear Compote
Makes 3 cups
4 ripe Bosc pears
2/3 cup ruby port wine
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 large navel orange, unpeeled, and finely chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries, currants or raisins
dash nutmeg
dash cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1. Peel and core pears and cut into small chunks.
2. Bring to a boil the port wine, pears and sugar over medium high heat.
3. Cook 3 minutes. Add the chopped orange (the peel helps "gel"
the sauce) and reduce to a simmer.
4. Cook about 10-15 minutes, until mixture thickens slightly.
5. Remove from heat and stir in dried fruit and spices.
6. When the mixture is completely cool, stir in walnuts.
7. Refrigerate until needed, but bring to room temperature before serving.
Can be prepared 3 days in advance.
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Yellow
Finn Potato Cakes (excerpted
from The Great Ranch Cookbook)
4-6 Servings
1 generous pound scrubbed potatoes (Yellow Finn, Yukon Gold, or Russet)
1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 stick) + 1/4 cup vegetable oil mixed together
1. Coarsely grate unpeeled potatoes and onion into a colander or
strainer.
2. Rinse thoroughly with cold water until all the potato starch is rinsed away
and the water runs clear
3. Place the potato mixture, a handful at a time, in a clean dishtowel.
4. Gather up the sides of the towel to make a pouch and squeeze the potatoes
until no more liquid comes out.
5. Put dried potato mixture in a bowl.
6. Preheat oven to 350°. Toss potato mixture with chives, pepper, salt and
flour.
7. Add egg and cream mixture and toss to combine. Heat a sauté pan or cast iron
skillet over medium high heat.
8. Add butter mixture to a depth of 1/8" (make more butter mixture if
necessary for your pan, 1/2 melted butter and 1/2 vegetable oil). 9. 9. Make
sure pan is hot then drop potato mixture into pan in 1/4 cupfuls. Squish with a
spatula to flatten it out and cook until golden brown, turn and cook other side
until golden brown.
10. Place on a baking sheet and finish in a 350° oven for 5 to 7 minutes.
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Zucchini Rounds
with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Peppers
(excerpted from
The Great Ranch Cookbook)
8 Servings
6 small zucchinis
1/2 cup drained and squeezed sun-dried tomatoes in oil,
1/4 cup roasted red pepper or 1 red pepper, roasted and peeled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1/8 cup blue cheese, crumbled and loosely packed
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Non-stick cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 400º. Slice the zucchini into 1/2 inch rounds and remove
most of the pulp with a melon baller (save the pulp for the soup pot.)
2. Put tomatoes in the bowl of the processor with blade, pulse to chop, then add
peppers and basil. Pulse again but only chop, don’t puree.
3. Add cheese and pulse just to blend. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
4. Lightly spray a cookie sheet. Fill zucchini rounds and place on cookie sheet.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes and serve. (return
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