2 small plain goat cheese logs, very cold
2 eggs
3/4 cup panko crumbs
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
8 cups packed baby spinach, arugula or mache
Preparation Instructions
Slice each goat cheese log into 6 1/2″ rounds. Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl. Pour panko into another bowl. Dip cheese rounds into egg, then in panko until well coated. Place on a large plate. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, 2 hours, or overnight.
Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium high. Add 2 tbsp oil, then 3 frozen cheese rounds. Cook until golden, about 2 min per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining cheese.
Whisk remaining 2 tbsp oil with vinegars and salt in a large bowl. Season with fresh pepper. Add greens, and toss until coated. Divide amongst 6 plates. Top each with one or two rounds of cheese.
With Rosh Hashanah coming up, I turned to our friend Norene Gilletz from Gourmania.com for a great holiday recipe. She suggested her Apple Honey cake from “The NEW Food Processor Bible” (whitecap books). You won’t be disappointed by this recipe – it’s a moist and delicious treat that’s perfect any time!
Ingredients
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 medium apples, peeled and cut in chunks
3 eggs plus 2 egg whites (or 4 eggs)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup liquid honey
3/4 cup cold tea
1/4 cup brandy
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Steel Blade: Process flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger for 10 seconds, until blended. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Process apples until finely minced, 8 to 10 seconds. Measure 1 cup firmly packed and set aside.
Process eggs and egg whites, sugar, oil and honey for 2 to 3 minutes, until light. Do not insert pusher in feed tube. Add dry ingredients to batter alternately with tea and brandy. Process with quick on/off pulses, just until blended. Do not over-process. Add apples and process with quick on/off pulses, just until mixed.
Pour batter into sprayed 12-cup fluted tube pan (Bundt pan). Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until cake tests done. A wooden skewer inserted into the center should come out dry. If necessary, cover top of cake with foil to prevent over-browning. Let cake cool in pan for 20 minutes. Carefully loosen with a flexible spatula; invert cake onto a serving plate.
Yield: 15 servings. Freezes well.
Note: If you don’t have a large processor, add beaten egg mixture to dry ingredients in mixing bowl alternately with tea and brandy. Mix with a wooden spoon until blended, about 45 seconds. Stir in apples.
Additional Comments: If you don’t have brandy on hand, you can substitute Grand Marnier, orange juice or peach brandy. Apple juice can replace half of the tea for a delicious taste.
This is a crowd-pleaser, and not just for cinco de mayo! I made it for my sisters birthday this past week-end and it was a big hit. The margarita’s helped….
Ingredients
1 pork shoulder – 5-6 lbs
1 onion, peeled
1 orange, washed, and quartered
1 lime, washed, halved
1 tblsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp peppercorns
3 cups water
Preparation Instructions
Place all ingredients in a slow cooked on high, or in a dutch oven, covered, at 325. Cook 4-5 hours, or until meat is tender and falls apart.
Pull meat apart with a fork, and add 1/2 cup cooking liquid and salt to taste.
Serve with corn or flour tortillas, and your fave toppings- guacamole, grated cheese, fresh salsa, coriander, sour cream and cholula hot sauce.
Black bean, corn and coriander salad makes a great side dish.
Nothing says Easter like hot cross buns, especially when they’re home made. This recipe comes from Jennifer L.’s book, in North Branch , MN, although I’ve made a few tiny tweaks.
Ingredients
4-4 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. granulated sugar
3/4 cup currents
(1/4 cup candied orange zest and 1/4 cup candied ginger, cut into small cubes)
1 egg white
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp milk (or more if needed)
Preparation instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl combine 2 c. flour, yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In a pan heat and stir milk, butter, sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt until warm (120°-130°) and butter almost melts.
Add milk mixture to dry mixture. Add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed 20 sec. scraping bowl. Beat on high 3 minutes. Stir in currants and orange peel and ginger (if desired), and as much remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1-1 1/2 hrs).
3. Punch dough down. Turn onto floured surface. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 20 portions. Shape portiions into smooth balls. Place balls 1-1/2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise till nearly double. (45-60 minutes)
4. Using a sharp knife, make a crisscross slash across top of each bun. In small bowl combine beaten egg white and 1 tbsp water. Brush mixture of egg white and water over rolls. Bake in a 375° oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. For icing, in a mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or juice. Stir in additional milk or juice, 1 tsp at a time, until icing is of drizzling consistecy. Drizzle icing into slashes atop each bun. Serve warm.
I’ve seen variations of this recipe in several people’s book, and have always been skeptical. If you’re up for something new, then like me, be ready to have your world rocked: Norene Gilletz’s recipe from Gourmania.com will make you a believer.
Ingredients
3 onions, sliced
4 1/2 to 5 lb. beef brisket, well-trimmed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tbsp. paprika
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup diet cola (use regular cola if you can’t find diet)
Preparation Instructions
1. Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray. Place onions in pan; place brisket on top of onions. Rub meat on all sides with garlic, seasonings, jam and lemon juice. Pour cola over and around brisket. Marinate for an hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Cook covered. Allow 45 minutes per lb. as the cooking time, until meat is fork tender. Uncover meat for the last hour and baste it occasionally. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate overnight, if possible. Discard hardened fat which congeals on the surface. Slice brisket thinly across the grain, trimming away any fat. Reheat slices in the defatted pan juices.
Yield: 12 servings. Reheats and/or freezes well.
The recipe comes from Healthy Helpings by Norene Gilletz (formerly published as MealLeaniYumm!)
With Passover fast approaching, we thought we should ask our friend Norene Gilletz of Gourmania.com for some traditional recipes. She suggested this apple Kugel and I’m glad to report that it’s simply delicious.
Ingredients
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 c sugar
6 apples, peeled and grated
1/4 cup matzo meal
juice of 1 lemon
1 c dried apricots, cut up
2 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs with sugar, mix well. Add apples, matzo meal and lemon juice. Mix until smooth. Soak apricots in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain.
Spray a 7×11 pyrex casserole dish (Virginie’s note: I used individual ramekins, baked them for 45 minutes) with non-stick spray. Spread half of the mixture on the pan. Add the apricots in a single layer over the batter. Top with remaining apple mixture. Spread evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon with sugar mixture. Bake for about an hour, until golden.
This recipe comes from Healthy Helpings by Norene Gilletz (formerly published as MealLeaniYumm!)
Note
. If you are not making this for passover, or are not jewish and can mix dairy with your meal, try it with a vanilla custard sauce. It’s divine!
This is one of those recipes that I often make, but never with an actual recipe! It’s a no-fail favorite with friends and family!
Ingredients
8 oz (1 package) sliced mushrooms- cremini works best!
50g pancetta- diced
10 pearl onions
1 tsp butter
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 tbsp butter
9 chicken thighs
1/4 cup flour
1 bottle red wine
Preparation Instructions
Melt 1 tsp butter in a heavy bottom pan. Brown mushrooms, pancetta and pearl onions. Remove from heat. Dredge chicken in flour. Brown in additional butter. Add fresh thyme. Return mushrooms, pancetta and onion to the pan. Add wine. Turn heat down and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through and soft.
Although it’s not the traditional way to serve it, I love serving Coq-au-vin on cheesy egg noodles. I find Gruyere or Emmenthal cheese has the best flavor to accompany the sauce, but swiss cheese works just as well!
Here’s a quick and easy four ingredient recipe (five if you count the optional rum!) that you can throw together in a flash. It’s sure to impress guests!
Ingredients
1/4 package of frozen puff pastry
4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche
1 tsp rum (optional)
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped
1/4 cup sugar
Preparation Instructions
Thaw puff pastry, roll out, and cut into 2″ squares. Bake according to package instructions. Let cool completely.
Cut bananas into slices or quarters. Place in a saucepan with Dulce de Leche and rum. Heat until boiling, and let boil 3 minutes.
Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and continue whipping.
To assemble Napoleons, pull one puff pastry square in half. Layer warm bananas, whipped cream, and pastry top. Top with more whipped cream and drizzle caramel sauce over top.
Hint: Puff pastry makes a wonderful topping for a meat pie. I often use if when I’m making leftover chicken or turkey pot pie…
Every time I go out for Italian food, I end up ordering some variation of this salad, so I thought it was time I developed my own recipe for it so I can enjoy it at home too! I’m happy to report this version does not disappoint!! I’ve listed the ingredients to serve 2, but this is the type of thing that’s easily cut down or increased to feed as many as you need.
Ingredients
4 oz mixed mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shitake are good)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp truffle oil
1/4 cup grated good quality parmesan cheese
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2 cups mixed greens, like arugula, baby spinach or dandelion leaves
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to broil. Wash the mushrooms and slice them roughly. Toss mushrooms with 2 tsp olive and truffle oils. Coat with grated parmesan cheese. Transfer the mushrooms to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place under the broiler (not at the top rack or they will burn) and cook 4 minutes. Take out of the oven, stir, and return to broiler for an additional 4 minutes.
While the mushrooms are browning, mix olive oil, vinegars and salt and pepper in a bowl to make a dressing. When the mushrooms come out of the oven, toss the greens in the dressing. Plate onto two plates, and top with warm mushrooms. Note: This salad comes together at the last minute as you need to plate it right away once you’ve dressed it. The vinegar in the dressing bruises the baby greens quickly, and once you put the hot mushrooms on, they will start to wilt. Using strong greens like arugula and spinach makes for a nice warm salad.
There’s definitely something decadent about shrimp – maybe it has to do with peeling the shells before popping them into one’s mouth and having to use your fingers as part of the eating experience. This recipe is so intensely flavored that it just seemed a natural choice for part 2 of our valentine’s day menu.
Ingredients
3 heads of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
1 lb large shrimp, frozen, uncooked, with or without peel, thawed
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 chopped flat leaf parsley
dash of tabasco
salt and pepper
Preparation Instructions
Heat oil in large frying pan. Add garlic and cook about 1minute, being careful not to burn it. Add chorizo sausage. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp and cooked until almost cooked- about 4-5 minutes. Add white wine, and continue cooking until the shrimp are cooked through. Add tabasco, salt and pepper and parsley.
Serve on top of creamy polenta for an especially decadent meal, or simply with baguette (and cold cutter) to soak the sauce.
