Two fabulous recipes from Carol's house (2/10/25)
No-name delicious chicken:
3 pounds boneless/skinless chicken thighs
1 T brown sugar
2 t salt
1 T paprika
1–1/2 t garlic powder
1-1/2 t onion powder
1-1/2 t pepper
2 T olive oil
Combine brown sugar and olive oil in large bowl
Add thighs and toss to coat. 30 minutes to overnight.
Preheat grill to high
Reduce grill to low. Cook and flip for a total of 20 minutes.
If any of the three following links do not open, try copy and pasting
Chicken Normandy (Christmas dinner 2024). https://shorturl.at/rfoTF
No changes except that I brined the chicken breast https://cookthestory.com/how-long-to-brine-chicken-breast/
Artichoke Gouda Tart (Christmas dinner 2024)
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/artichoke-gouda-tart/comment-page-6/#comments
Louisa's Cake from Food 52 (Christmas dinner 2024)
https://www.2ndmonday.net/ (The only tweak I made was to use aluminum-free baking powder because I was worried that the taste of the baking powder might be too strong given that the recipe calls for one Tablespoon)
Joshya McFadden's Lamb Ragu from "Six Seasons", Betsy's new favorite cookbook - Betsy's June 2024 dinner
https://www.braelochfarms.com/blogs/news/lamb-green-garlic-ragu-joshua-mcfadden (I used regular garlic, could not find the green garlic)
Raspberry Spuma - Betsy's June 2024 dinner
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016670-raspberry-spuma?smid=url-share
Lasagna Al forno - Carol's May 2024 dinner
Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3/4 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
28 ounce canned tomatoes
12 ounce tomato paste
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Sauté onion, garlic and parsley.
Add meat and brown.
Add rest of sauce ingredients and simmer 2 to 3 hours.
1 tablespoon salt
12 lasagna noodles
Bring water to boil, cook noodles
1 pound ricotta
1 pound mozzarella
3ounces grated Parmesan
Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, sauce and Parmesan. Repeat. Add another layer of noodles and end with sauce and Parmesan.
Oven at 350. Bake uncovered 45 minutes until meaty and browned. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Serves 9
Broccoli Salad - Carol's May 2024 dinner
3 pounds broccoli in small pieces
Chopped red onion
Sunflower seeds
Crisp bacon bits
Sorry I have no quantities. I just wing it.
Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar ( I use red wine vinegar)
Combine and toss with other ingredients shortly before serving.
Joan's German Chocolate cake and filling/icing (rom Sally’s baking addiction: Upgraded German Chocolate Cake. Sallysbakingaddiction.com/german-chocolate-cake)
Two delicious recipes from dinner at Susan's: Butternut Squash Soup and Honey Cake which Susan served with pistachio ice cream (October 2023)
Summer Peach and Blackberry Galette (Angie served it with ice cream at her 9/11/03 dinner. Outstanding! Angie used Trader Jo's pie crust.)
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/summer-peach-and-blackberry-galette
Angie's out-of-this-world Black Rice Salad:
Black Rice Salad
Serves 10
2 c black rice
3-4 c liquid (water, chicken broth, etc)
2 bell peppers (red, gold), chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 spring scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 c dried cranberries
1 c toasted sliced almonds
Follow package directions to cook rice. However once the grain is no longer crunchy, remove from stove, drain and cool with cold water.
Transfer cooked rice to rimmed baking sheet and spread it out into a thin layer. Pour the dressing over the rice and mix well. Let the rice sit until it has cooled and the dressing has absorbed.
Finish the salad by placing rice into large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
Season to taste. I added salt, pepper and mixed on some honey.
Dressing:
1 c orange juice or any other orange juice fruit combination (ie. orange-mango)
1/2 c soy sauce
I made the dressing while the rice was cooking, then refrigerated until needed.
Susan's Chicken Casserole from Southern Living
Chicken Casserole D'Iberville
Ingredients
Make It Ahead: Cover casseroles tightly with foil, and freeze unbaked up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake as directed. (Casserole may also be baked frozen. Plan to double the baking times.) To Microwave One Frozen, Unbaked 8-inch Square Casserole: Casserole must be in a microwave-safe dish. Cover dish with wax paper. Microwave at HIGH 15 to 16 minutes or until casserole is bubbly, giving dish a half-turn once. To Microwave One Thawed, Unbaked 8-inch Square Casserole: Follow directions to microwave a frozen, unbaked casserole, reducing microwave time to 7 to 8 minutes. Kitchen Express: Use 2 deli-roasted chickens (about 2 pounds each) in place of boiled chickens. Use 1 cup dry sherry and 3 ¼ cups (26 ounces) canned chicken broth to cook rice.
Chicken Casserole D'Iberville
Ingredients
- 2 (3-pound) whole chickens
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 (6-ounce) packages long-grain and wild rice mix
- ½ cup butter or margarine
- 2 (8-ounce) packages sliced mushrooms (I only used 1 package)
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
- 1 (10 ¾-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 sleeve round buttery crackers, crushed (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 (6-ounce) can French-fried onions, crushed
- ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- Bring first 9 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove chicken, reserving broth in Dutch oven. Let chicken cool. Pour broth through a fine wire mesh strainer into an 8-cup liquid measuring cup; discard solids.
- Cook rice according to package directions, substituting 4 ¼ cups reserved chicken broth for water and omitting butter. (Add water to broth to equal 4 ¼ cups, if necessary.)
- Skin, bone, and coarsely chop or shred chicken.
- Melt ½ cup butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; add mushrooms and green onions, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, chicken, sour cream, and soup. Spoon mixture into 8 (2-cup) casserole dishes, 8 (5 ½- x 3 ½- x 2-inch) mini-loaf pans, 3 (8-inch or 9-inch) square baking dishes, or 1 (4-quart or 15- x 10-inch) casserole dish.
- Stir together crushed crackers and fried onions. Stir in ¼ cup melted butter, paprika, and garlic powder. Sprinkle casserole evenly with cracker mixture.
- Bake, covered, at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 to 10 more minutes or until bubbly.
Make It Ahead: Cover casseroles tightly with foil, and freeze unbaked up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake as directed. (Casserole may also be baked frozen. Plan to double the baking times.) To Microwave One Frozen, Unbaked 8-inch Square Casserole: Casserole must be in a microwave-safe dish. Cover dish with wax paper. Microwave at HIGH 15 to 16 minutes or until casserole is bubbly, giving dish a half-turn once. To Microwave One Thawed, Unbaked 8-inch Square Casserole: Follow directions to microwave a frozen, unbaked casserole, reducing microwave time to 7 to 8 minutes. Kitchen Express: Use 2 deli-roasted chickens (about 2 pounds each) in place of boiled chickens. Use 1 cup dry sherry and 3 ¼ cups (26 ounces) canned chicken broth to cook rice.
December 2022 - Christmas Dinner at Carol's
November 2022
Rigatoni w/ Squash and Caramelized Onions
Cook Pancetta over med. heat til crisp.
Add garlic to pancetta.
Add Butter and onions, cook til golden brown.
Remove onion/pancetta to cool.
To the pan, add oil, ½ of rosemary and squash on high heat for 3min.
Add stock, bring to boil, reduce to simmer.
Cook until squash is tender and absorbed liquid (5 min)
Cool squash slightly. Add to squash: pasta, ½ of onions, pancetta, 1C parm, fontina, cream and the rest of rosemary. Stir gently to mix.
Transfer to Dutch oven. Add rest of onions and 1/2C parm on top. Heat covered for 30 min then uncovered for 15 min.
Paula's Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
2. Combine gingerbread cake mix, water, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir until well blended. Divide batter between 2 ungreased 9-inch cake pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Place cake pans on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Invert and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
4. Combine milk and vanilla pudding mix in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let cool until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in pumpkin pie filling, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
5. Crumble 1 gingerbread cake into the bottom of a large punch bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread. Add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with remaining gingerbread cake, pudding mixture, and whipped topping. Sprinkle gingersnaps on top.
6. Refrigerate until pudding is set and flavors combine, 8 hours to overnight.
Rigatoni w/ Squash and Caramelized Onions
- 1# small rigatoni (or ½# if you like squash more than pasta) cooked al dente.
- 1 large or 2 small butternut squash
- 4 oz pancetta or bacon
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1T unsalted butter
- 2 large onions, thickly sliced
- 1T olive oil
- 2T rosemary, finely chopped
- 1.5 C Chick or veg stock
- 1.5C heavy cream
- 1.5 C freshly grated parmesan
- ½# fontina cheese cut into ½” cubes
Cook Pancetta over med. heat til crisp.
Add garlic to pancetta.
Add Butter and onions, cook til golden brown.
Remove onion/pancetta to cool.
To the pan, add oil, ½ of rosemary and squash on high heat for 3min.
Add stock, bring to boil, reduce to simmer.
Cook until squash is tender and absorbed liquid (5 min)
Cool squash slightly. Add to squash: pasta, ½ of onions, pancetta, 1C parm, fontina, cream and the rest of rosemary. Stir gently to mix.
Transfer to Dutch oven. Add rest of onions and 1/2C parm on top. Heat covered for 30 min then uncovered for 15 min.
Paula's Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
- 2 (14.5 ounce) packages gingerbread cake mix
- 2 cups water
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups milk
- 1 (4.6 ounce) package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
- 1 (30 ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- ½ cup crushed gingersnaps
2. Combine gingerbread cake mix, water, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir until well blended. Divide batter between 2 ungreased 9-inch cake pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Place cake pans on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Invert and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
4. Combine milk and vanilla pudding mix in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let cool until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in pumpkin pie filling, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
5. Crumble 1 gingerbread cake into the bottom of a large punch bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread. Add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with remaining gingerbread cake, pudding mixture, and whipped topping. Sprinkle gingersnaps on top.
6. Refrigerate until pudding is set and flavors combine, 8 hours to overnight.
DInner at Denise's October 10, 2023
Chicken Packets
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
3 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp chopped chives
1 package (8) crescent rolls
Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
Divide crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Use rolling pin to flatten a bit and press to seal perforations. Spoon 1/4 chicken mixture into each rectangle. Pull corners to center and seal all edges in a square.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Can be frozen before cooking. Will need longer to cook if frozen.
Fall Fruit Salad--The Toasty Kitchen
16 ounces red seedless grapes
12 ounces blackberries
1 cup chopped pecans
2 large sweet apples
Dressing
1 orange
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a bowl, add the zest and juice of one orange. Then, add maple syrup and cinnamon, whisking to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add grapes, blackberries, and pecans. Cube apples into bite size pieces and add to the bowl. Immediately pour dressing over fruits and toss until evenly coated.
Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve
Summer Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes and Corn
Dinner at Betsy’s: I did change it up a little but, trust me, the original recipe is better!
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (from 4 ears)
5 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), plus wedges for serving (optional)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
3 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives, or torn basil leaves
Step 1
Pat the shrimp very dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and lightly golden in spots, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a plate.
Step 2
Add the tomatoes to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring just once or twice, until they start to blister in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring just once or twice, until the tomatoes burst and the corn is golden in spots, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 3
Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until you smell garlic, about 1 minute.
Step 4
Reduce heat to medium, and add the wine and lemon juice, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until nearly evaporated, then add the butter and stir until melted. Add the shrimp and its juices and stir until warmed through. (If the sauce breaks and looks greasy, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water and stir until emulsified.)
Step 5
Remove from heat, add the herbs, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with extra lemon for squeezing over, if you like.
Chicken Packets
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
3 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp chopped chives
1 package (8) crescent rolls
Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
Divide crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Use rolling pin to flatten a bit and press to seal perforations. Spoon 1/4 chicken mixture into each rectangle. Pull corners to center and seal all edges in a square.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Can be frozen before cooking. Will need longer to cook if frozen.
Fall Fruit Salad--The Toasty Kitchen
16 ounces red seedless grapes
12 ounces blackberries
1 cup chopped pecans
2 large sweet apples
Dressing
1 orange
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a bowl, add the zest and juice of one orange. Then, add maple syrup and cinnamon, whisking to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add grapes, blackberries, and pecans. Cube apples into bite size pieces and add to the bowl. Immediately pour dressing over fruits and toss until evenly coated.
Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve
Summer Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes and Corn
Dinner at Betsy’s: I did change it up a little but, trust me, the original recipe is better!
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (from 4 ears)
5 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), plus wedges for serving (optional)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
3 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives, or torn basil leaves
Step 1
Pat the shrimp very dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and lightly golden in spots, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a plate.
Step 2
Add the tomatoes to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring just once or twice, until they start to blister in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring just once or twice, until the tomatoes burst and the corn is golden in spots, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 3
Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until you smell garlic, about 1 minute.
Step 4
Reduce heat to medium, and add the wine and lemon juice, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until nearly evaporated, then add the butter and stir until melted. Add the shrimp and its juices and stir until warmed through. (If the sauce breaks and looks greasy, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water and stir until emulsified.)
Step 5
Remove from heat, add the herbs, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with extra lemon for squeezing over, if you like.
Kells Guinness Meatballs
2 pounds ground free-range beef
1/4 cup sweet onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
3 tablespoons fresh basil, finely minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely minced
1/2 cup panko (see note)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 ounces heavy whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except eggs. Crack eggs in separate bowl and add to meat mixture. Blend mixture by hand until just incorporated. Shape meat mixture into balls, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place meatballs on 2 large sheet pans. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of meatballs reads 160 degrees. Shake each pan occasionally to allow meat to brown on all sides.
Remove pans from oven. Pour Kells Guinness Cream Sauce (recipe follows) over meatballs and let steep until ready to serve. Meatballs and sauce can be held in a 160 degrees oven or crock pot until ready to serve. When ready to serve, arrange meatballs on individual serving plates around mounded champ. Drizzle extra cream sauce atop and around meatballs.Makes about forty 11/2-inch meatballs.
Kells Guinness Cream Sauce
14 ounces (13/4 cups) beef broth
2 tablespoons corn starch
3/4 cup Guinness draught stout
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced or pressed
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
In a small bowl, mix 2 to 3 ounces (4 to 6 tablespoons) of room-temperature beef broth with corn starch. Set aside.
Combine remaining broth and ingredients, except heavy cream, in heavy-gauge saucepot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for 15 minutes on low and reduce to a low simmer. Add heavy cream. When cream is blended, slowly drizzle in cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly until mixture is incorporated. Continue to whisk until sauce returns to a low simmer, about 5 to 10 minutes. Thickness and taste may be adjusted by adding slightly more broth or cream.
Makes 1 and 2/3 cups cream sauce.
Recipe from chef Ethan Light, Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub, Portland, Ore.
2 pounds ground free-range beef
1/4 cup sweet onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
3 tablespoons fresh basil, finely minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely minced
1/2 cup panko (see note)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 ounces heavy whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except eggs. Crack eggs in separate bowl and add to meat mixture. Blend mixture by hand until just incorporated. Shape meat mixture into balls, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place meatballs on 2 large sheet pans. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of meatballs reads 160 degrees. Shake each pan occasionally to allow meat to brown on all sides.
Remove pans from oven. Pour Kells Guinness Cream Sauce (recipe follows) over meatballs and let steep until ready to serve. Meatballs and sauce can be held in a 160 degrees oven or crock pot until ready to serve. When ready to serve, arrange meatballs on individual serving plates around mounded champ. Drizzle extra cream sauce atop and around meatballs.Makes about forty 11/2-inch meatballs.
Kells Guinness Cream Sauce
14 ounces (13/4 cups) beef broth
2 tablespoons corn starch
3/4 cup Guinness draught stout
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced or pressed
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
In a small bowl, mix 2 to 3 ounces (4 to 6 tablespoons) of room-temperature beef broth with corn starch. Set aside.
Combine remaining broth and ingredients, except heavy cream, in heavy-gauge saucepot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for 15 minutes on low and reduce to a low simmer. Add heavy cream. When cream is blended, slowly drizzle in cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly until mixture is incorporated. Continue to whisk until sauce returns to a low simmer, about 5 to 10 minutes. Thickness and taste may be adjusted by adding slightly more broth or cream.
Makes 1 and 2/3 cups cream sauce.
Recipe from chef Ethan Light, Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub, Portland, Ore.
COCA COLA CAKE
1 stick butter
1 C coca cola
3/4 C miniature marshmallows
1square of semi sweet baking chocolate
1/2 C shortening
1/2 C vegetable oil
3/4 C cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C buttermilk
2 C sugar
2 1/3 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
FROSTING
1 stick butter
1/2 C cocoa powder
1/4 C coca cola (plus 2-3tbsp if needed)
3 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C Hershey syrup
· Place in sauce pan, butter, coke, semi-sweet baking square and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add marshmallows and stir until all is blended and the marshmallows have disappeared. Set aside and let cool enough to tepid or room temperature.
In mixing bowl blend the shortening, oil, vanilla and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and buttermilk and beat until smooth. Mix flour with baking soda, cocoa, baking powder and salt, add half the flour mixture to shortening, egg mixture, and beat. Scrape bowl time to time to clean off so ingredients are blended in batter. Add cooled coca cola mixture and beat. Add remainder of flour and beat until completely smooth about 3-4 minutes. Batter will be thick. Place batter in a 13x9x2 greased pan.
Set pan on top shelf in a preheated 350F degree oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.
FROSTING: Cream butter and cocoa; add vanilla, hershey syrup and coca cola until smooth. Add powdered sugar a little at a time and beat constantly. Scrape the sides of the bowl time to time to get all ingredients into the frosting. If the frosting seams a little dry add a little more coca cola. Frost warm cake and serve with vanilla ice cream.
1 stick butter
1 C coca cola
3/4 C miniature marshmallows
1square of semi sweet baking chocolate
1/2 C shortening
1/2 C vegetable oil
3/4 C cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C buttermilk
2 C sugar
2 1/3 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
FROSTING
1 stick butter
1/2 C cocoa powder
1/4 C coca cola (plus 2-3tbsp if needed)
3 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C Hershey syrup
· Place in sauce pan, butter, coke, semi-sweet baking square and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add marshmallows and stir until all is blended and the marshmallows have disappeared. Set aside and let cool enough to tepid or room temperature.
In mixing bowl blend the shortening, oil, vanilla and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and buttermilk and beat until smooth. Mix flour with baking soda, cocoa, baking powder and salt, add half the flour mixture to shortening, egg mixture, and beat. Scrape bowl time to time to clean off so ingredients are blended in batter. Add cooled coca cola mixture and beat. Add remainder of flour and beat until completely smooth about 3-4 minutes. Batter will be thick. Place batter in a 13x9x2 greased pan.
Set pan on top shelf in a preheated 350F degree oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.
FROSTING: Cream butter and cocoa; add vanilla, hershey syrup and coca cola until smooth. Add powdered sugar a little at a time and beat constantly. Scrape the sides of the bowl time to time to get all ingredients into the frosting. If the frosting seams a little dry add a little more coca cola. Frost warm cake and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Dinner at Mary Kay's, March, 2022
Mary Kay’s Chicken Wild Rice Soup
adopted from Bowl of Delicious, Elizabeth Lindemann----Servings 12
Ingredients:
• 2 TBS butter and 2 TBS olive oil
• 5 ribs of celery
• 5 carrots
• 3 yellow onions
• 15-20 cups of chicken broth-I like Pacific Organic, Costco Kirkland, and Whole Foods 365
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 whole chicken and 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs
• 1 1⁄2 c wild rice-I like dark long grain rice (Gerbs Black Wild Rice) from Amazon.
Instructions:
1. Chop 1 carrot, 1 onion, and 1 rib of celery into big pieces and place at the bottom of a
large stock pot.
2. Add the raw whole chicken and the drumsticks and thighs to the stock pot.
3. Pour chicken stock into a large stock pot until the chicken is covered.
4. Add 1⁄2 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of salt.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer the chickens for about 2-3 hours until the chicken falls off the
bone.
6. Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and place in a bowl to cool.
7. Do not discard the liquid that the chicken cooked in. Save and put aside.
8. Dice the onions and carrots. Cut the celery into 1⁄4 inch slices.
9. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in 2 TBS of butter and 2 TBS of olive oil and add 1⁄4
tsp salt and pepper. Cook until the onions and carrots are soft but not soggy. Remove
from heat and set aside.
10. Measure 1 1⁄2 c of wild rice and rinse thoroughly under running water.
11. Place the rinsed rice in a large sauce pan and add 3 cups of chicken stock to the rice.
12. Bring the rice to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 40-45 minutes until the
chicken stock is absorbed by the rice and remove from the heat.
13. Strain the chicken stock that the chicken cooked in through a fine gauged strainer and
add the strained stock back to the same chicken stock pot.
14. Add the sautéed vegetables to the chicken stock pot and bring to a boil for about 3
minutes.
Turn off the heat and set aside.
15. Remove all bones and fat from the chicken and shred and cut chicken. Add the
shredded/cut chicken back to the chicken stock pot.
16. Add the wild rice to the chicken stock pot.
17. Add more chicken stock as needed to make a soup and not a stew.
18. Add salt and pepper to taste.
19. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for about 1⁄2 hour.
20. Reheat as needed.
Three Sisters Salad-Native American Dish
from Spark Recipes---Serving 4
I just must let you know that I forgot one important ingredient when it was served, I forgot the
corn. I did have it the next day with the corn, and it was better.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
2 Tbs Fresh Lemon juice
1⁄4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1⁄2 tsp of Sea Salt
1⁄4 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Salad:
1 can Garbanzo or Black, Red, White Great Northern, or Kidney Beans, etc.
2 Fresh Zucchini
1 c Frozen (thawed) Corn
1⁄2 Red Onion
1 bag Romaine Lettuce, tear into strips
1 oz Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
Dressing:
1. Mix fresh lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper together in a
small bowl.
Salad:
2. Open a bag of frozen corn. Pour out a cup into a mixing bowl, cover the bowl and let the
corn thaw to room temperature.
3. Open a can of beans of garbanzo beans or your choice-Black Beans, Kidney, Great White
Northern Beans, Red Beans, etc.
4. Pour the beans into a colander and rinse with cold running water. Drain and add to a
mixing bowl.
5. Wash the zucchini and dice into 1/4 inch pieces.
6. Finely dice the red onion and add it to the bowl with the zucchini.
7. Add the lemon, olive oil dressing to the bowl—may not have to use all.
8. Toss and refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve, place on individual plates and sprinkle with cheese if desired.
Serving size: 4
Blueberry Dump Cake:
from Love From the Oven, Christie Johnstone---Servings 16
This is such and easy recipe and can be put together in 10 minutes.
I did not use blueberry pie filling which the recipe calls for, I used canned blueberries in light
syrup. I also added pecans on top before baking.
Ingredients:
• 1 box cake mix white or yellow
• 3⁄4 cup of unsalted butter
• 2 -21 oz. cans of blueberry pie mix
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan
2. Dump both cans of blueberries into the pan and spread evenly so that no part of the
bottom of the pan is visible. Open the cake mixture and spoon onto the canned
blueberries in the pan to cover evenly.
3. Add the butter in pats to cover the cake mix.
4. Sprinkle on the 2 cups of fresh blueberries over the butter layer.
5. Add pecans or walnuts on the fresh blueberry layer if desired.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top looks golden brown. Serve warm on its own or with
a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Mary Kay’s Chicken Wild Rice Soup
adopted from Bowl of Delicious, Elizabeth Lindemann----Servings 12
Ingredients:
• 2 TBS butter and 2 TBS olive oil
• 5 ribs of celery
• 5 carrots
• 3 yellow onions
• 15-20 cups of chicken broth-I like Pacific Organic, Costco Kirkland, and Whole Foods 365
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 whole chicken and 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs
• 1 1⁄2 c wild rice-I like dark long grain rice (Gerbs Black Wild Rice) from Amazon.
Instructions:
1. Chop 1 carrot, 1 onion, and 1 rib of celery into big pieces and place at the bottom of a
large stock pot.
2. Add the raw whole chicken and the drumsticks and thighs to the stock pot.
3. Pour chicken stock into a large stock pot until the chicken is covered.
4. Add 1⁄2 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of salt.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer the chickens for about 2-3 hours until the chicken falls off the
bone.
6. Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and place in a bowl to cool.
7. Do not discard the liquid that the chicken cooked in. Save and put aside.
8. Dice the onions and carrots. Cut the celery into 1⁄4 inch slices.
9. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in 2 TBS of butter and 2 TBS of olive oil and add 1⁄4
tsp salt and pepper. Cook until the onions and carrots are soft but not soggy. Remove
from heat and set aside.
10. Measure 1 1⁄2 c of wild rice and rinse thoroughly under running water.
11. Place the rinsed rice in a large sauce pan and add 3 cups of chicken stock to the rice.
12. Bring the rice to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 40-45 minutes until the
chicken stock is absorbed by the rice and remove from the heat.
13. Strain the chicken stock that the chicken cooked in through a fine gauged strainer and
add the strained stock back to the same chicken stock pot.
14. Add the sautéed vegetables to the chicken stock pot and bring to a boil for about 3
minutes.
Turn off the heat and set aside.
15. Remove all bones and fat from the chicken and shred and cut chicken. Add the
shredded/cut chicken back to the chicken stock pot.
16. Add the wild rice to the chicken stock pot.
17. Add more chicken stock as needed to make a soup and not a stew.
18. Add salt and pepper to taste.
19. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for about 1⁄2 hour.
20. Reheat as needed.
Three Sisters Salad-Native American Dish
from Spark Recipes---Serving 4
I just must let you know that I forgot one important ingredient when it was served, I forgot the
corn. I did have it the next day with the corn, and it was better.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
2 Tbs Fresh Lemon juice
1⁄4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1⁄2 tsp of Sea Salt
1⁄4 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Salad:
1 can Garbanzo or Black, Red, White Great Northern, or Kidney Beans, etc.
2 Fresh Zucchini
1 c Frozen (thawed) Corn
1⁄2 Red Onion
1 bag Romaine Lettuce, tear into strips
1 oz Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
Dressing:
1. Mix fresh lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper together in a
small bowl.
Salad:
2. Open a bag of frozen corn. Pour out a cup into a mixing bowl, cover the bowl and let the
corn thaw to room temperature.
3. Open a can of beans of garbanzo beans or your choice-Black Beans, Kidney, Great White
Northern Beans, Red Beans, etc.
4. Pour the beans into a colander and rinse with cold running water. Drain and add to a
mixing bowl.
5. Wash the zucchini and dice into 1/4 inch pieces.
6. Finely dice the red onion and add it to the bowl with the zucchini.
7. Add the lemon, olive oil dressing to the bowl—may not have to use all.
8. Toss and refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve, place on individual plates and sprinkle with cheese if desired.
Serving size: 4
Blueberry Dump Cake:
from Love From the Oven, Christie Johnstone---Servings 16
This is such and easy recipe and can be put together in 10 minutes.
I did not use blueberry pie filling which the recipe calls for, I used canned blueberries in light
syrup. I also added pecans on top before baking.
Ingredients:
• 1 box cake mix white or yellow
• 3⁄4 cup of unsalted butter
• 2 -21 oz. cans of blueberry pie mix
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan
2. Dump both cans of blueberries into the pan and spread evenly so that no part of the
bottom of the pan is visible. Open the cake mixture and spoon onto the canned
blueberries in the pan to cover evenly.
3. Add the butter in pats to cover the cake mix.
4. Sprinkle on the 2 cups of fresh blueberries over the butter layer.
5. Add pecans or walnuts on the fresh blueberry layer if desired.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top looks golden brown. Serve warm on its own or with
a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Christmas Dinner 2021
Cognac Shrimp with Beurre Blanc Sauce: https://www.thespruceeats.com/cognac-shrimp-beurre-blanc-sauce-recipe-1375537
Winter Squash and Spinach Pasta Bake: https://smittenkitchen.com/2021/10/winter-squash-and-spinach-pasta-bake/
Not too Virtuous Salad with Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette: https://food52.com/recipes/1692-not-too-virtuous-salad-with-caramelized-apple-vinaigrette
Tahini Mousse Pie: https://food52.com/recipes/41913-tahini-mousse-pie
Cognac Shrimp with Beurre Blanc Sauce: https://www.thespruceeats.com/cognac-shrimp-beurre-blanc-sauce-recipe-1375537
Winter Squash and Spinach Pasta Bake: https://smittenkitchen.com/2021/10/winter-squash-and-spinach-pasta-bake/
Not too Virtuous Salad with Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette: https://food52.com/recipes/1692-not-too-virtuous-salad-with-caramelized-apple-vinaigrette
Tahini Mousse Pie: https://food52.com/recipes/41913-tahini-mousse-pie
Shrimp in Yellow Curry – Mark Bittman. - 4 servings
1. Place the oil in a large, deep skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and the mixture pasty. Add the curry and cook, stirring, another minute.
2. Add the coconut milk and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is nearly dry. Add the shrimp, a few pinches of salt and a little black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp release their liquid (the mixture will become quite moist again) and turn pink.
3. Add half the nam pla, stir, then taste and add the rest if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and serve with white or sticky rice.
- 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced galangal or ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced hot chili, or crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, or to taste
- 1 cup fresh or canned coconut milk
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds medium-to-large shrimp, peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce), or to taste
- ¼ cup minced cilantro or mint leaves
1. Place the oil in a large, deep skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and the mixture pasty. Add the curry and cook, stirring, another minute.
2. Add the coconut milk and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is nearly dry. Add the shrimp, a few pinches of salt and a little black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp release their liquid (the mixture will become quite moist again) and turn pink.
3. Add half the nam pla, stir, then taste and add the rest if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and serve with white or sticky rice.
Leek and Mushroom Tarts
Ingredients
2 oz./50 g bacon (cut into strips)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium leeks (thinly sliced)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
2 tsp. fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
1/2 lb/200 g sliced mushrooms
1 egg
8 sq. (4 x 4-inch/10 x 10 cm) frozen puff pastry
1 cooked beet (or other cooked leftovers, such as carrots, finely chopped)
1 cup (100 g) hard Dutch goat's cheese, grated
Steps to Make It
Ingredients
2 oz./50 g bacon (cut into strips)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium leeks (thinly sliced)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
2 tsp. fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
1/2 lb/200 g sliced mushrooms
1 egg
8 sq. (4 x 4-inch/10 x 10 cm) frozen puff pastry
1 cooked beet (or other cooked leftovers, such as carrots, finely chopped)
1 cup (100 g) hard Dutch goat's cheese, grated
Steps to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and arrange squares on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the squares at least 1-inch (2 cm) apart.
- In a frying pan or skillet, cook the bacon in 1 tbsp of the olive oil, until crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper kitchen towel.
- Add the leeks and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook over a medium-low heat until soft and glistening. Towards the end of cooking, add the garlic and finely chopped rosemary. Remove the cooked leek mixture from the pan and set aside.
- Now add the other tbsp of olive oil, along with a pinch of salt and a good grinding of pepper, and cook the mushrooms over a medium heat until soft, stirring regularly. If the mushrooms have produced a lot of liquid, strain in a sieve.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to brush the pastry with the beaten egg. Using a fork, prick the center of the puff pastry, making sure to leave a 1 1/2-inch (2 cm) band around the edge of the pastry. This will ensure that the pastry won't rise in the center, while the unpricked outside will rise to form a crust.
- Mix the bacon, leeks, and mushrooms together. Spoon some of this mixture onto the center of each pastry square. Top with the diced beet and the grated goat's cheese.
- Bake the tarts in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the pastry edges turn golden brown. Serve warm.
Pasta with Asiago Cheese and Spinach
Combine tomatoes, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl. Add pasta and spinach; toss gently. Sprinkle with cheeses; toss gently.
The only thing I did differently was to add half a can of artichoke hearts.
- 3 cups boiling water
- 4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil (about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 6 cups hot cooked cavatappi (about 12 ounces uncooked ridged, spiral pasta)
- 1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach, torn
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Combine tomatoes, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl. Add pasta and spinach; toss gently. Sprinkle with cheeses; toss gently.
The only thing I did differently was to add half a can of artichoke hearts.
Three appetizers from Betsy's May 2019 book club. They all come "America's Test Kitchen, Best-Ever Appetizers."
Joan's Incredible Lemon Cake with all of Joan's usual adaptations and embellishments (April 2019 book club):
LEMON CREAM CAKE with LEMON CURD FILLING and MASCAPONE FROSTING
This first part is the recipe, sort of, for the frosting only. But I’ve included the entire original epicurious cake recipe that Eileen negatively reviewed, so don’t make the cake! You can make this epicurious lemon curd or use the one further below, which is the one I actually used. I doubled the lemon curd recipe. I think my recipe is easier.
Changes for frosting: I used just one 8 oz. container of mascarpone, not three, but would consider using 2 the next time and adding a little more sugar to the frosting. I used powdered sugar instead of regular sugar. However, I think it could have been a little sweeter. I considered using the syrup from this recipe but figured the reason it was used was to make up for a sponge cake, which in my opinion is pretty boring J
ALSO: use a pastry tip and bag to make a frosting rim around the edge of each layer so the lemon curd doesn’t ooze out when assembling the cake. This is important or you’ll have a mess when trying to frost the sides. You can also use this tip when decorating the top of the cake if you like. If you want to be a little fancier, you can use the pastry tip to decorate the bottom edge, where it meets the plate. You should have enough frosting to do that—I had about ½ cup left after frosting—and if you use more mascarpone, you definitely should have enough.
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 T. grated lemon peel (or more….can’t remember if I added more)
3 ½ c. sifted cake flour (I really did sift it before measuring)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
2 c. sour cream
Butter bottoms of 3 9” cake pans, line with waxed paper (bottom only) and butter again.
Cream butter and sugar together in missing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon zest.
Sift together dry ingredients (I DID sift) and add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.
Put in pans and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven till cake tester comes out clean, recipe says 30-35 minutes but you should check at 25 min. (My cake was overbaked because the oven at the lake must have been higher than what I’m used to—this cake is typically more moist—but I also put the layers in the freezer for almost a week which didn’t help any either---although it was easy to frost and put the layers together when they were mostly frozen—which might also save time so you don’t have to make it at the last minute).
LEMON CURD:
(this is the doubled recipe)
1 c. unsalted butter
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
1 c. lemon juice
6 T. lightly packed, finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
12 egg yolks
Whisk yolks, zest, juice, and sugar in a heavy bottom pan. Cook on medium-low heat (you can gauge as you go how high but you might want to go on the lower side—it might take about 12 minutes, though). Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and draw a line down the center that stays.
Remove from heat. Let cool about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add butter one piece (about 2 T.) at a time, stirring till incorporated. Pass through a fine mesh sieve, then stir frequently until cool. Put plastic wrap right on the surface of the curd. Wrap bowl tightly in plastic and refrigerate until well-chilled (can make a few days ahead).
Don’t forget to save out a cup to use in the frosting.
I think this cake is better if you assemble it 24 hours in advance. You’ll need lots of refrigerator room, though.
This first part is the recipe, sort of, for the frosting only. But I’ve included the entire original epicurious cake recipe that Eileen negatively reviewed, so don’t make the cake! You can make this epicurious lemon curd or use the one further below, which is the one I actually used. I doubled the lemon curd recipe. I think my recipe is easier.
Changes for frosting: I used just one 8 oz. container of mascarpone, not three, but would consider using 2 the next time and adding a little more sugar to the frosting. I used powdered sugar instead of regular sugar. However, I think it could have been a little sweeter. I considered using the syrup from this recipe but figured the reason it was used was to make up for a sponge cake, which in my opinion is pretty boring J
ALSO: use a pastry tip and bag to make a frosting rim around the edge of each layer so the lemon curd doesn’t ooze out when assembling the cake. This is important or you’ll have a mess when trying to frost the sides. You can also use this tip when decorating the top of the cake if you like. If you want to be a little fancier, you can use the pastry tip to decorate the bottom edge, where it meets the plate. You should have enough frosting to do that—I had about ½ cup left after frosting—and if you use more mascarpone, you definitely should have enough.
- Lemon curd
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Cake
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 14 tablespoons sugar
- 1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- Filling and frosting
- 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1 c. powdered sugar but 1 ½ c. of powdered sugar would have been better)
- 3 8-ounce containers chilled mascarpone cheese* (I used just 8 ounces)
- For lemon curd:
- Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until thickened and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160°F, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Add butter; whisk until melted. Transfer 1 cup curd to small bowl for using in the frosting. Reserve remaining curd for filling. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of both curds. Chill overnight. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.)
- For cake:
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line bottom of two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides with parchment paper (do not grease pans or parchment). Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 7 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and slowly dissolving ribbons form when beaters are lifted, about 4 minutes. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 7 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff and glossy. Fold half of whites into yolk mixture, then sift half of flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt over and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining whites, then sift remaining flour over and fold in just until combined, being careful not to deflate batter.
- Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in pans on racks.
- Run knife around edge of pans to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto 9-inch-diameter cardboard rounds, tapping on work surface if necessary to release cakes. Cut each cake horizontally in half (layers will be thin). Peel off parchment.
- For syrup:
- Place sugar in small metal bowl. Add 1/2 cup boiling water; stir to dissolve sugar. Stir in lemon juice.
- For filling and frosting:
- Beat whipping cream and sugar in large bowl until peaks form. Add mascarpone to lemon curd in medium bowl; whisk until blended. Fold whipped cream into lemon-mascarpone mixture.
- Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Brush with 1/4 of syrup. Spread 1/4 cup lemon curd over, then 1 cup lemon-mascarpone filling. Top with second cake layer; brush with 1/4 of syrup and spread with 1/4 cup lemon curd and 1 cup lemon-mascarpone filling. Repeat with third cake layer, syrup, lemon curd, and filling. Top with fourth cake layer. Brush with remaining syrup, then spread remaining lemon curd over. Spoon 2 cups lemon-mascarpone filling into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch star tip (to be used for rosettes). Spread remaining lemon-mascarpone filling as a frosting over sides of cake. Pipe small rosettes of frosting over top of cake, covering completely. Cover cake with cake dome; refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 T. grated lemon peel (or more….can’t remember if I added more)
3 ½ c. sifted cake flour (I really did sift it before measuring)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
2 c. sour cream
Butter bottoms of 3 9” cake pans, line with waxed paper (bottom only) and butter again.
Cream butter and sugar together in missing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon zest.
Sift together dry ingredients (I DID sift) and add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.
Put in pans and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven till cake tester comes out clean, recipe says 30-35 minutes but you should check at 25 min. (My cake was overbaked because the oven at the lake must have been higher than what I’m used to—this cake is typically more moist—but I also put the layers in the freezer for almost a week which didn’t help any either---although it was easy to frost and put the layers together when they were mostly frozen—which might also save time so you don’t have to make it at the last minute).
LEMON CURD:
(this is the doubled recipe)
1 c. unsalted butter
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
1 c. lemon juice
6 T. lightly packed, finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
12 egg yolks
Whisk yolks, zest, juice, and sugar in a heavy bottom pan. Cook on medium-low heat (you can gauge as you go how high but you might want to go on the lower side—it might take about 12 minutes, though). Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and draw a line down the center that stays.
Remove from heat. Let cool about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add butter one piece (about 2 T.) at a time, stirring till incorporated. Pass through a fine mesh sieve, then stir frequently until cool. Put plastic wrap right on the surface of the curd. Wrap bowl tightly in plastic and refrigerate until well-chilled (can make a few days ahead).
Don’t forget to save out a cup to use in the frosting.
I think this cake is better if you assemble it 24 hours in advance. You’ll need lots of refrigerator room, though.
Betsy's recipes from the 2018 Christmas Party
Spiced Shrimp in Lemon Ginger Sauce:
https://food52.com/recipes/19196-spiced-shrimp-in-lemon-ginger-sauce
Dijon and Cognac stew:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/02/dijon-and-cognac-beef-stew/
Salad of Frisee, Fuji apples and beets:
https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/salad-of-frisee-fuji-apple-and-marinated-beets
Maialino's Olive oil cake:
https://food52.com/recipes/26709-maialino-s-olive-oil-cake
Spiced Shrimp in Lemon Ginger Sauce:
https://food52.com/recipes/19196-spiced-shrimp-in-lemon-ginger-sauce
Dijon and Cognac stew:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/02/dijon-and-cognac-beef-stew/
Salad of Frisee, Fuji apples and beets:
https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/salad-of-frisee-fuji-apple-and-marinated-beets
Maialino's Olive oil cake:
https://food52.com/recipes/26709-maialino-s-olive-oil-cake
Mary Kay's (credit also to David Lebovitz) scrumptious caramelized almond cake which she served on her Swedish-themed night: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/caramelized-almond-cake-recipe/
Golden Turmeric Tea
Here is the recipe for the turmeric tea I mentioned at Eileen's. I make mine with coconut almond soup and all fresh herbs. I've tripled and even quadrupled it, keeping the leftovers in the fridge. Also, I simmer it for fifteen, not ten minutes. Betsy
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/golden-milk-turmeric-tea#reviews
Here is the recipe for the turmeric tea I mentioned at Eileen's. I make mine with coconut almond soup and all fresh herbs. I've tripled and even quadrupled it, keeping the leftovers in the fridge. Also, I simmer it for fifteen, not ten minutes. Betsy
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/golden-milk-turmeric-tea#reviews
Denise's Pimento Cheese Toasts
YIELD: Makes about 36 hors d'oeuvres
ACTIVE TIME: 20 min
TOTAL TIME: 25 min
INGREDIENTS
10 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (4 cups) I use 5oz white cheddar and 5oz sharp orange cheddar. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne I doubled this amount. 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup finely diced bottled roasted red pepper (rinse and pat dry first) I doubled this too. 1 baguette I think that these should be lightly toasted.
PREPARATION
Preheat broiler. Stir together all ingredients, except baguette, plus 1/8 teaspoon pepper and salt to taste. Slice baguette crosswise 1/3 inch thick and spread bread thickly with cheese mixture. Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat until cheese is bubbling and browned, about 2 minutes.
Mary Ann's A++++++ Apple Crisp
Here is recipe for apple crisp from Nutbread and Nostalgia.
16-18 medium tart apples, cored, peeled and diced (I like to combine flavors: Jonathon, Granny Smith, Cortland, Gala)
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 T salt
2 eggs, well-beaten
2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) melted butter
cinnamon
Prepare apples. I squeeze a lemon over the apples as I go. Grease 9 by 13 glass or ceramic baking dish. In a large bowl, mix 4 dry ingredients with a spoon. Add beaten egg and mix well. Spread crumbly mixture over apples in dish. Pour melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 375* for 45-60 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Serves 12-15.
Here is recipe for apple crisp from Nutbread and Nostalgia.
16-18 medium tart apples, cored, peeled and diced (I like to combine flavors: Jonathon, Granny Smith, Cortland, Gala)
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 T salt
2 eggs, well-beaten
2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) melted butter
cinnamon
Prepare apples. I squeeze a lemon over the apples as I go. Grease 9 by 13 glass or ceramic baking dish. In a large bowl, mix 4 dry ingredients with a spoon. Add beaten egg and mix well. Spread crumbly mixture over apples in dish. Pour melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 375* for 45-60 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Serves 12-15.
Christmas Dinner at Betsy's
Braised Pork with Apples, Mushrooms, and CalvadosModified from The Wine Lovers Cookbook
Season pork with salt and pepper. Add pork and poppyseed to pan and sauté until pork is lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add tarragon, thyme, wine, Calvados, chicken stock, and reserved mushroom, onion, and pancetta mixture and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer, cover pan, and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours or until pork is tender.
Stir in sour cream and continue simmering, uncovered for 15 minutes to reduce liquid further. Meanwhile, toast a handful of diced or slivered almonds on the stovetop and chop a few tablespoons of parsley for garnish. Add apples to pan and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes to barely cook apples. They should still have some crunch. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon onto plates (or bowls) and garnish with almonds and parsley. Serve with a crusty bread to sop up all the delicious sauce.
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup chopped yellow onions
- 4 oz pancetta or bacon, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1½ lbs pork stew meat (from shoulder), cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- ½ tsp poppyseed
- ¼ cup white wine
- ⅓ cup Calvados or other apple brandy, or cognac
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup peeled, cored, and sliced McIntosh (or similar) apples
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- GARNISH: toasted, diced almonds; chopped parsley
Season pork with salt and pepper. Add pork and poppyseed to pan and sauté until pork is lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add tarragon, thyme, wine, Calvados, chicken stock, and reserved mushroom, onion, and pancetta mixture and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer, cover pan, and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours or until pork is tender.
Stir in sour cream and continue simmering, uncovered for 15 minutes to reduce liquid further. Meanwhile, toast a handful of diced or slivered almonds on the stovetop and chop a few tablespoons of parsley for garnish. Add apples to pan and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes to barely cook apples. They should still have some crunch. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon onto plates (or bowls) and garnish with almonds and parsley. Serve with a crusty bread to sop up all the delicious sauce.
Sept. 2016 book club at Betsy's
Vanilla Panna Cotta with mixed berry compote: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/vanilla-panna-cotta-with-mixed-berry-compote-106858
Caprese Salad: Toss together yellow and red cherry tomatoes (could use whole tomatoes or one color or whatever), mozarella balls (or sliced), kalamata olives, cubed avocado. Season with salt and pepper, a generous handful of chopped basil and olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I used the tuscan herb olive oil and the balsamic vinegar from The Olive Branch; expensive but I think it makes it.
The delicious Rum cake Mary Kay served, 8/8/2016: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/17456/golden-rum-cake/
Three wonderful appetizers from Tonda's 3/11/2016 book club:
Peppadew peppers stuffed with Apple Smoked Mozzarella cheese
Grilled Asparagus wrapped in Ham
Snap ends of asparagus, drizzle with lemon infused olive oil, and salt. Grill 2 mins each side, add little more OO.
Wrap in thinly sliced Krakus polish ham adding a bit of cream cheese to seal end.
Caramelized Onions over Goat Cheese
4 large sweet onion
2 8oz. goat cheese
1/2 stick butter (approximate)
1 T. olive oil (approximate)
salt
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
1T. balsamic vinegar (optional)
In skillet put OO and butter on medium heat, add onions, salt. cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Onions will become brown and a bit sticky.
Can add sugar if you want..onions become very sweet as they cook. Same with, balsamic vinegar to deglaze, adds a bit of flavor.
Put goat cheese in greased casserole dish, pour onions over and bake covered for 15 mins on *325 …I took lid off for another 5 mins until it started bubbling a bit. Serve with crackers.
Grilled Asparagus wrapped in Ham
Snap ends of asparagus, drizzle with lemon infused olive oil, and salt. Grill 2 mins each side, add little more OO.
Wrap in thinly sliced Krakus polish ham adding a bit of cream cheese to seal end.
Caramelized Onions over Goat Cheese
4 large sweet onion
2 8oz. goat cheese
1/2 stick butter (approximate)
1 T. olive oil (approximate)
salt
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
1T. balsamic vinegar (optional)
In skillet put OO and butter on medium heat, add onions, salt. cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Onions will become brown and a bit sticky.
Can add sugar if you want..onions become very sweet as they cook. Same with, balsamic vinegar to deglaze, adds a bit of flavor.
Put goat cheese in greased casserole dish, pour onions over and bake covered for 15 mins on *325 …I took lid off for another 5 mins until it started bubbling a bit. Serve with crackers.
Angies's great idea: Soups to warm our hearts over the winter of 2015-2016
From Denise:
Here is my favorite soup recipe. It's Roasted Carrot and Tomato Soup. It's easy and delicious. Thanks for asking. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-carrot-and-tomato-soup-with-basil-102204
From Betsy:
Sherried Cream of Portobello Soup (From "Gourmet's" best recipes collection, very easy, company soup, fattening but delicious and very easy): http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sherried-Cream-of-Portobello-Mushroom-Soup-14961
Red Lentil Soup with Lemon: (Five star recipe from New York Times, by Melissa Clark - a great lentil soup recipe, lovely subtle flavor. You can get red lentils at Whole Foods): http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016062-red-lentil-soup-with-lemon
Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup (From Bon Appetit's 2016 Cleanse collection. I loved this; Brian loved it even more. A Thai recipe, five stars. Whole Foods carries the wide pad thai noodles as would any asian grocery store. Warning; I doubled the recipe and used only 6 red chilis; it was plenty hot.) http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-curry-chicken-soup
From Denise:
Here is my favorite soup recipe. It's Roasted Carrot and Tomato Soup. It's easy and delicious. Thanks for asking. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-carrot-and-tomato-soup-with-basil-102204
From Betsy:
Sherried Cream of Portobello Soup (From "Gourmet's" best recipes collection, very easy, company soup, fattening but delicious and very easy): http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sherried-Cream-of-Portobello-Mushroom-Soup-14961
Red Lentil Soup with Lemon: (Five star recipe from New York Times, by Melissa Clark - a great lentil soup recipe, lovely subtle flavor. You can get red lentils at Whole Foods): http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016062-red-lentil-soup-with-lemon
Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup (From Bon Appetit's 2016 Cleanse collection. I loved this; Brian loved it even more. A Thai recipe, five stars. Whole Foods carries the wide pad thai noodles as would any asian grocery store. Warning; I doubled the recipe and used only 6 red chilis; it was plenty hot.) http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-curry-chicken-soup
From Mary Ann who says, "This is a delicious minestrone soup!"
From Angie: Yummy!
Winter Root Vegetable Soup ("A cream, savory and slightly sweet soup that is comforting on a cold winter night")
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/213610/winter-root-vegetable-soup/
REVIEW: I made this soup and can confirm that it is very yummy. I used chicken stock instead of vegetable broth and had to add quite a bit since it was so thick, but, I highly recommend!
Christmas dinner at Betsy's, December 14, 2015
Jacques Pepin’s Little Shrimp Casseroles
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1/4 cup minced scallions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped white button mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound large shrimp (about 24), shelled and deveined
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup dry white wine
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE In a large glass bowl, mix the butter with the garlic, scallions, mushrooms, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the shrimp and toss to mix well. Divide the mixture among 4 gratin dishes (or spoon it into 1 large gratin dish). Toss the bread crumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, so they are lightly coated but still fluffy. Sprinkle the shrimp mixture with the crumbs and pour on the wine. About 30 minutes before serving time, set a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425°. When the oven is hot, place the gratin dishes or dish on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the crumbs are nicely browned and the shrimp are just cooked through. Serve immediately. Tested size: 4-6 servings
David Lebowitz’s Caramel Pork Ribs
(The only tricky part of this recipe is the first step where you're cooking the sugar. Use a good quality heavy pot so sugar doesn't burn
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
3/4 cup beer
1/4 cup bourbon
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2-inch piece peeled ginger root, minced
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons harissa, Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce 1teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 pounds pork ribs, cut into 3- or 4-rib portions
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the granulated sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a large pot with a cover, such as a roasting pan or a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, undisturbed, until the sugar starts to melt around the edges.
Once the liquefied sugar starts to darken to a pale copper color, gently stir the sugar inward and continue to cook, stirring until the sugar is completely moistened. Cook, stirring infrequently, until all of it is a deep copper-colored liquid, similar in color to dark maple syrup, and smoking but not burnt. Turn off the heat and stir in the brown sugar, then carefully add the beer; steam will rise. The mixture will seize and harden, which is okay.
Let the mixture cool a bit, then stir in the bourbon, cider vinegar, ketchup, ginger, soy sauce, harissa or Sriracha, mustard and pepper. Put the ribs in the pot and turn on the heat until the sauce boils and bubbles up. Turn the ribs a few times in the liquid to coat evenly. Cover and transfer to the oven; roast for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the ribs are tender but not falling off the bone. Two or three times during roasting, remove the pot from the oven and turn the ribs over.
Uncover and continue to roast, turning the ribs a few times, for 30 minutes or until the juices have thickened a bit and the sauce has created a glaze on the ribs.
Skim any visible fat from the surface of the sauce. Serve hot or at room temperature; pass the sauce at the table
Grand Marnier Souffles with Crème Anglaise
(I encourage you to check out the recipe on Epicurious.com – lots of helpful hints from reviewers. I froze mine and moved them straight from the freezer to oven, added about five minutes to cooking time. CORRECTION: I had some leftover dessert which I prepared the day after our dinner and realized I did not cook the souffles long enough. They should not be runny inside. I allowed them to cook a few more minutes and they puffed up a lot higher and were puffy, not runny inside which also somehow made them slightly less sweet, probably a good thing.Finally, I used 3/4c. pyrex dishes instead of the recommended one-cup ramekins.)
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter plus additional for buttering ramekins
1 cup sugar plus additional for coating ramekins
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
7 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon orange oil* (I couldn't find - increased Grand Marnier by 1/2)
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier 8 large egg whites
Accompaniment: Creme Anglaise http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/creme-anglaise-101124 (I added 1 T Grand Marnier to the creme)
*available at specialty foods shops PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously butter eight 1-cup (3 1/2 x 2-inch) ramekins and coat with sugar, knocking out excess sugar. In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan melt 3/4 stick butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk and cook over moderate heat, whisking, until mixture is very thick and pulls away from sides of pan. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool 5 minutes. In a large bowl whisk together yolks, vanilla, oil, and a pinch salt, and whisk in milk mixture and Grand Marnier, whisking until smooth. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in 1 cup sugar, a little at a time, and beat meringue until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk about one fourth meringue into yolk mixture to lighten and with a rubber spatula fold in remaining meringue gently but thoroughly. Spoon batter into ramekins, filling them just to rim, and arrange ramekins at least 1 1/2 inches apart in a large baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins and bake soufflés in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until puffed and tops are golden. Remove pan from oven and transfer ramekins to dessert plates. With 2 forks pull open center of each soufflé and pour some crème anglaise into opening. Serve souffl
s immediately.
Following are two fabulous recipes that Angie served, November 2015
Mexican Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrettes
http://thelemonbowl.com/2012/05/mexican-slaw-with-honey-lime-vinaigrette.html
Spiced Empanadas with Lime Sour Cream
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/spiced-beef-empanadas-with-lime-sour-cream-recipe (Angie used the Spartan brand pie crusts in the refrigerator section of Martins
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/spiced-beef-empanadas-with-lime-sour-cream-recipe (Angie used the Spartan brand pie crusts in the refrigerator section of Martins
Three wonderful recipes from book club at Denise's, June 2015:
Tomato and Onion Tart: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tomato-and-onion-tart-10151
Summery Confetti Salad:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/summery-confetti-salad-51183680
Frozen Lemon Torte
2 Packages Lady Fingers (usually found in the freezer section)
5 eggs, separated
¾ Cup fresh lemon juice
Rind of 1 lemon, grated
1 ¼ Cups sugar
2 Cups whipping cream, whipped
4 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Dash of cream of tartar
Butter a 10” spring form pan and line sides and bottom with split lady fingers. In a saucepan, beat 5 egg yolks and 2 egg whites (reserve remaining whites) until thick. Add juice, rind and sugar. Cook over low heat until thickened. Let cool completely. Fold in the whipped cream and pour into the prepared pan. Freeze overnight, or at least 6 hours, covered with foil. Next day, beat the remaining 3 egg whites; add powdered sugar and cream of tartar and beat until stiff. Spread over the frozen torte and place under the broiler until lightly browned. Watch carefully. Cool for a few minutes and return to the freezer until ready to use. Defrost 1 ½-2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.
Serves 10.
The following four recipes were served at Betsy's on April 13, 2015:
Olive and Grape appetizer
2.5 cups washed and stemmed seedless grapes
2.5 cups good quality brine-cured green olives, pitted (don’t buy the bland canned olives)
4 teas balsamic vinegar
1 teas honey
1 1/2 c walnuts
fresh rosemary
salt
Put olives and grapes on a sheet pan, drizzle with vinegar and honey and roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
While the olives and grapes are roasting, heat a skillet with 1 Tbs olive oil. Add 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts and toast. Sprinkle with 1 heaping tablespoon chopped rosemary and salt to taste. When the grapes and olives are done, chop them and add the grape and olive mixture to the pan with the walnuts and toss to combine. Sprinkle with 3 Tbs grated parmigianno cheese and stir until the cheese begins to melt. Serve with crusty baguette and an assortment of cheeses. Serve warm or at room temp.
Avocado, mango and strawberry salad (I adapted my salad from this recipe, paid very little attention to quantities)
Serves 3
1 Avocado, diced
1 handful Strawberries, husked and diced
1 Mango, peeled and diced
1 Small handfuls Cilantro, finely chopped
½ lime, juiced
Salt and pepper
1. Combine avocado, strawberries, mango, cilantro and lime. Mix together gently. Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
Devil's food cake with mascarpone cream (From my daughter-in-law, Erin’s, blog. Go to it and see a picture of cake along with lots of pictures of our adorable grandson, Charlie: http://eatyourcheese.blogspot.com/ )
adapted from Ad Hoc at Home
3 1/3 cups cake flour
2/3 cups and 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups sour cream
6 eggs, lightly beaten
12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Semisweet chocolate bar for shaving (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Add cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar into bowl of stand mixer and mix gently to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk and sour cream. In a third bowl, combine eggs and melted butter and whisk gently to combine. Place the stand mixer with paddle on medium-low speed and add the two mixtures above alternately until mixture is smooth.
Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of 3 9-inch cake pans and then spray with canola oil spray or butter generously. Divide batter evenly among cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan, then flip carefully onto cooling rack to cool completely. If your cakes have domed, you may want to even out the top by using a long serrated knife so that your cakes stack evenly. The cake scraps can be mixed with a bit of frosting to get a nice sample of what your cake will taste like!
Make the mascarpone filling (below). Place the first cake on cake stand and spread about 1/3 of filling evenly on top. Repeat with remaining two layers. If desired, use vegetable peeler to shave chocolate bar into thick crumbles and curls. Sprinkle on top evenly or in desired pattern. Chill cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. Cake is best served within a few hours of making filling.
Mascarpone cream
adapted from epicurious.com
16 oz mascarpone cheese
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Combine ingredients in stand mixer bowl and set on medium speed using whisk attachment. Whisk until high peaks form being careful not to over-beat. If you over-beat by accident, you can try to add a little more cream and try again.
This recipe has a very small amount of sugar by most frosting standards, so if desired, feel free to increase the amount, but personally I liked the flavor of the cream and mascarpone coming through. Full-fat cream cheese can be substituted for the mascarpone if necessary.
Wild Mushroom Pate, from Smitten Kitchen (click for recipe)
Susan's and The Food Network's White Chocolate-Raspberry Parfait, served at Susan's February 2015
Susan's presentation was even more elegant than this.
Susan's presentation was even more elegant than this.
Ingredients
For the sauce:
1 1/2 cups raspberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
For the mousse:
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups raspberries
Shaved white chocolate, for topping
Directions
Make the sauce: Combine the raspberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, mashing with a spoon. Press through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl using the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until cold.
Make the mousse: Put the white chocolate and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate is melted; whisk until smooth and creamy. Beat the remaining 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Whisk about 1 cup of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest until combined.
Divide half of the mousse among 6 small glasses; top each with about 1 tablespoon raspberry sauce and a few raspberries. Top with the remaining mousse, sauce and raspberries; sprinkle with shaved white chocolate. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.
For the sauce:
1 1/2 cups raspberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
For the mousse:
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups raspberries
Shaved white chocolate, for topping
Directions
Make the sauce: Combine the raspberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, mashing with a spoon. Press through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl using the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until cold.
Make the mousse: Put the white chocolate and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate is melted; whisk until smooth and creamy. Beat the remaining 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Whisk about 1 cup of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest until combined.
Divide half of the mousse among 6 small glasses; top each with about 1 tablespoon raspberry sauce and a few raspberries. Top with the remaining mousse, sauce and raspberries; sprinkle with shaved white chocolate. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.
Susan's Mini Mushroom Meatloaf , February 2015
(She used muffin tin liners, otherwise they're hard to get out of pan)
½ pound ( about 4 cups) cremini or button mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
½ lb ground beef
1 carrot – shredded
½ C bread crumbs
2 T tomato paste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 C tomato sauce
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with muffin papers; set aside. Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat about 1 minute. Drain.
In a large bowl, combine mushroom mixture with beef, carrot, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg and egg white. Mix gently, divide among 12 muffin cups and pack down. Cook 20 -30 minutes. Serve with warmed tomato sauce.
(She used muffin tin liners, otherwise they're hard to get out of pan)
½ pound ( about 4 cups) cremini or button mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
½ lb ground beef
1 carrot – shredded
½ C bread crumbs
2 T tomato paste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 C tomato sauce
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with muffin papers; set aside. Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat about 1 minute. Drain.
In a large bowl, combine mushroom mixture with beef, carrot, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg and egg white. Mix gently, divide among 12 muffin cups and pack down. Cook 20 -30 minutes. Serve with warmed tomato sauce.
Farfalle with Chicken, Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese
From Epicurious.com and Angie
Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.
Add wine to reserved skillet. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 3 minutes. Add pasta, onions, broth, and next 4 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Stir over medium heat to warm through, about 3 minutes.
Divide spinach among plates. Spoon pasta over spinach. Top with crumbled goat cheese.
From Epicurious.com and Angie
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large red onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 8 ounces farfalle
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
- 6 heirloom tomatoes, cored, chopped (about 5 cups)
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (from 1/2 rotisserie chicken)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.
Add wine to reserved skillet. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 3 minutes. Add pasta, onions, broth, and next 4 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Stir over medium heat to warm through, about 3 minutes.
Divide spinach among plates. Spoon pasta over spinach. Top with crumbled goat cheese.
Chorizo-Filled Dates Wrapped in Bacon
- 1 small Spanish chorizo sausage (about 2 ounces), casing removed
- 24 Medjool dates, pitted
- 12 slices of bacon, halved crosswises
- Slice the chorizo crosswise in thirds. Halve each piece lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 lengthwise strips to make a total of 24 small sticks.
- Tuck a chorizo stick into each date and pinch the dates closed. Wrap a strip of bacon around each date and secure with a toothpick.
- Place the wrapped dates in a large skillet, seam sides down, and sauté, turning, until the bacon is browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Kale Salad with Cherries and Pecans
Servings: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: From The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook from Deb Perelman and Betsy
Ingredients: FOR THE SALAD
1/2 cup pecans
8 ounces Black Kale, also known as Cavolo Nero, or Lacinato, Dinosaur, or Tuscan Kale
4 ounces radishes, sliced into paper-thin rounds
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 ounces soft goat cheese, chilled
FOR THE DRESSING
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Directions: Optional step: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spread the pecans on a tray. Toast them for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing them once or twice to make sure they toast evenly. Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
Wash your kale and let it dry on spread-out kitchen or paper towels. Then, with a knife, remove the rib from each stalk, leaving long strips of kale leaves. Stack the leaves in small batches, roll them tightly the long way, and cut the roll crosswise into thin ribbons. Add the kale ribbons to a large salad bowl.
Add the radishes, pecans and cherries. Crumble the goat cheese over top.
Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small dish, and pour the dressing over the salad.
NOTE: This salad is great to eat right away, but even better after 20 minutes of tenderizing in the dressing.
Servings: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: From The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook from Deb Perelman and Betsy
Ingredients: FOR THE SALAD
1/2 cup pecans
8 ounces Black Kale, also known as Cavolo Nero, or Lacinato, Dinosaur, or Tuscan Kale
4 ounces radishes, sliced into paper-thin rounds
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 ounces soft goat cheese, chilled
FOR THE DRESSING
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Directions: Optional step: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spread the pecans on a tray. Toast them for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing them once or twice to make sure they toast evenly. Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
Wash your kale and let it dry on spread-out kitchen or paper towels. Then, with a knife, remove the rib from each stalk, leaving long strips of kale leaves. Stack the leaves in small batches, roll them tightly the long way, and cut the roll crosswise into thin ribbons. Add the kale ribbons to a large salad bowl.
Add the radishes, pecans and cherries. Crumble the goat cheese over top.
Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small dish, and pour the dressing over the salad.
NOTE: This salad is great to eat right away, but even better after 20 minutes of tenderizing in the dressing.
Here is the Mushroom Lasagna that Betsy made January 2014 at her house:
Mushroom Lasagna
From the Smitten Kitchen Blog, adapted, only a little, from Ina Garten
Last time I posted, I joked about the number of changes I make to the average recipe. However, Ina Garten doesn’t write average recipes. Her recipes never fail to produce dishes that require no tweaking to receive rave reviews, and this one was no different. The only things I messed with were adding a clove of minced garlic to the sauce, because it’s so wonderful against the creaminess and swapping out portobellos with cremini, or brown mushrooms as portobellos are more expensive, harder to find, break easily and are nothing but overgrown brown mushrooms.
My only gripe with this recipe is the number of pots it uses; I counted 4 in the original (not including the colander, cutting board and knife, ugh) and managed to trim it to 3 in my version, below. However, I did forget all about the inconvenience of dishes once I tasted the final dish — completely and totally worth it.
Serves 6 to 8 (more as a first course)
Salt
Olive oil
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used less, because this seemed like a lot)
1 1/2 pounds cremini or portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bring a large, wide (if you use a wide one, you can save a dish later and saute your mushrooms in the bottom of it) of water to boil with salt and a splash of oil, that will help keep your noodles from sticking together as they drain. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Make béchamel: Bring the milk and garlic to simmer in a saucepan, or heat it in your microwave, and set it aside. Melt 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) butter in a large saucepan. If your name is Deb, you will probably brown this butter, too. Add the flour and cook for one minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Pour in the hot milk, a little at a time at first and stirring until combined. Once you’ve added half of it, you can add the second half all at once, along with 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring or whisking frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thick. Set aside.
Prepare mushrooms: Discard portobello mushroom stems and/or trim the ends of the cremini stems. Slice mushrooms 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium in the bottom of the large, wide pot you used to cook the noodles earlier, or in a large sauté pan. Cook half the mushrooms with a couple pinches of salt for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender and release some of their juices, tossing to make sure they cook evenly. Repeat with additional oil and butter, and remaining mushrooms.
Assemble lasagna: Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 x 12 or 9 x 13 baking dish. (Ina recommends the former, I only had the latter; if you’d like to freeze or give this dish as a gift, remember to use a foil pan). Arrange a layer of noodles on top*, then more sauce (about 1/4 of what remains), 1/3 of the mushrooms and 1/4 cup grated parmesan. Repeat two more times then top with a final layer of noodles, your remaning sauce and last 1/4 cup of parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. To freeze for future use, allow it to cool completely and wrap two to three times in plastic wrap before freezing.
* Burning question: Do you overlap your lasagna noodles on each layer? I think that’s the way it is usually done, but it has been so long since I made lasagna, I couldn’t remember. I decided to line mine up, and ended up with three neat rows down my 9 x 13 pan (I trimmed the ends of the noodles, because I can occasionally be a neat freak) and found it exceptionally neat and pretty to serve, as each piece could have two ruffly edges. This meant I only used 12 noodles total, or about 2/3 of a one-pound box.
Mushroom Lasagna
From the Smitten Kitchen Blog, adapted, only a little, from Ina Garten
Last time I posted, I joked about the number of changes I make to the average recipe. However, Ina Garten doesn’t write average recipes. Her recipes never fail to produce dishes that require no tweaking to receive rave reviews, and this one was no different. The only things I messed with were adding a clove of minced garlic to the sauce, because it’s so wonderful against the creaminess and swapping out portobellos with cremini, or brown mushrooms as portobellos are more expensive, harder to find, break easily and are nothing but overgrown brown mushrooms.
My only gripe with this recipe is the number of pots it uses; I counted 4 in the original (not including the colander, cutting board and knife, ugh) and managed to trim it to 3 in my version, below. However, I did forget all about the inconvenience of dishes once I tasted the final dish — completely and totally worth it.
Serves 6 to 8 (more as a first course)
Salt
Olive oil
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used less, because this seemed like a lot)
1 1/2 pounds cremini or portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bring a large, wide (if you use a wide one, you can save a dish later and saute your mushrooms in the bottom of it) of water to boil with salt and a splash of oil, that will help keep your noodles from sticking together as they drain. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Make béchamel: Bring the milk and garlic to simmer in a saucepan, or heat it in your microwave, and set it aside. Melt 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) butter in a large saucepan. If your name is Deb, you will probably brown this butter, too. Add the flour and cook for one minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Pour in the hot milk, a little at a time at first and stirring until combined. Once you’ve added half of it, you can add the second half all at once, along with 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring or whisking frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thick. Set aside.
Prepare mushrooms: Discard portobello mushroom stems and/or trim the ends of the cremini stems. Slice mushrooms 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium in the bottom of the large, wide pot you used to cook the noodles earlier, or in a large sauté pan. Cook half the mushrooms with a couple pinches of salt for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender and release some of their juices, tossing to make sure they cook evenly. Repeat with additional oil and butter, and remaining mushrooms.
Assemble lasagna: Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 x 12 or 9 x 13 baking dish. (Ina recommends the former, I only had the latter; if you’d like to freeze or give this dish as a gift, remember to use a foil pan). Arrange a layer of noodles on top*, then more sauce (about 1/4 of what remains), 1/3 of the mushrooms and 1/4 cup grated parmesan. Repeat two more times then top with a final layer of noodles, your remaning sauce and last 1/4 cup of parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. To freeze for future use, allow it to cool completely and wrap two to three times in plastic wrap before freezing.
* Burning question: Do you overlap your lasagna noodles on each layer? I think that’s the way it is usually done, but it has been so long since I made lasagna, I couldn’t remember. I decided to line mine up, and ended up with three neat rows down my 9 x 13 pan (I trimmed the ends of the noodles, because I can occasionally be a neat freak) and found it exceptionally neat and pretty to serve, as each piece could have two ruffly edges. This meant I only used 12 noodles total, or about 2/3 of a one-pound box.
Joan's Blueberry Dessert
(this is my original recipe which supposedly fits in a 9" pie pan; for bookclub I used 1 1/2 x the recipe)
Crust:
2/3 c. flour,
4T. sugar,
2/3 c. finely ground almonds (or pecans....but they tend to get too brown),
5-6 T. melted butter.
Press in bottom of a 9" pie pan or some equivalent size pan. Bake 350 for about 10-15 minutes (it also will bake with the filling in it, but find its better to prebake it so its somewhat crunchy). Cool.
Filling:
8 oz. low-fat cream cheese (room temp),
1 c. sour cream (lowfat),
1/2 c. sugar,
1/2 t. vanilla.
Mix cream cheese with mixer, add rest and put in cooled crust. Baked 350 for about 15 minutes--just so its not jiggly. Cool and then chill.
Blueberry Topping:
Mix together
3/4 c. sugar,
2.5T. cornstarch,
1/4 t. salt in a saucepan;
add 2/3 cup water and 1 c. blueberries.
Cook and stir over med-high heat till it boils. Continue cooking, stirring, till it is very thick. Remove from heat. Add 1.5T. lemon juice and 1.5T. butter. Cool. Fold in 2 c. blueberries. (Can use frozen blueberries with good results). Put blueberries on chilled (or at least cool filling) and refrigerate. Garnish with whipping cream when serving or put on entire pie.
Crust:
2/3 c. flour,
4T. sugar,
2/3 c. finely ground almonds (or pecans....but they tend to get too brown),
5-6 T. melted butter.
Press in bottom of a 9" pie pan or some equivalent size pan. Bake 350 for about 10-15 minutes (it also will bake with the filling in it, but find its better to prebake it so its somewhat crunchy). Cool.
Filling:
8 oz. low-fat cream cheese (room temp),
1 c. sour cream (lowfat),
1/2 c. sugar,
1/2 t. vanilla.
Mix cream cheese with mixer, add rest and put in cooled crust. Baked 350 for about 15 minutes--just so its not jiggly. Cool and then chill.
Blueberry Topping:
Mix together
3/4 c. sugar,
2.5T. cornstarch,
1/4 t. salt in a saucepan;
add 2/3 cup water and 1 c. blueberries.
Cook and stir over med-high heat till it boils. Continue cooking, stirring, till it is very thick. Remove from heat. Add 1.5T. lemon juice and 1.5T. butter. Cool. Fold in 2 c. blueberries. (Can use frozen blueberries with good results). Put blueberries on chilled (or at least cool filling) and refrigerate. Garnish with whipping cream when serving or put on entire pie.
Chocolate, Almond, and Raspberry Tart
Crust:
1 1/4 cups finely ground chocolate wafer cookies (about 25)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling and topping:
6 ounces almond paste, crumbled into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/3 cups)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 half-pint baskets fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
2 teaspoons kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
Sliced almonds, toasted
Special equipment: 1 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom
For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cookie crumbs and 5 tablespoons butter in medium bowl. Stir until crumbs are evenly coated and beginning to stick together. Press crumb mixture in thin even layer onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Bake crust until set and beginning to crisp, pressing with back of fork if crust puffs, about 15 minutes. Cool crust completely on rack.
For filling and topping :
Sprinkle almond paste over crust. Gently press to even layer. Place chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until melted and smooth. Pour ganache evenly over almond layer. Chill tart until chocolate is cold and set, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Arrange raspberries, pointed side up, over top of tart. Stir jam and kirsch in small pan over low heat until blended and heated through. Brush glaze over berries. Sprinkle almonds around edge of tart. DO AHEAD: can be made 6 hours ahead. Chill uncovered.
Using small sharp knife, loosen crust from pan sides. Push up pan bottom, releasing tart. Cut into wedges; serve cold.
Made by Denise for the Feb. meeting from Bon Appétit (December 2010 by Dede Wilson) It was outstanding!
1 1/4 cups finely ground chocolate wafer cookies (about 25)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling and topping:
6 ounces almond paste, crumbled into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/3 cups)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 half-pint baskets fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
2 teaspoons kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
Sliced almonds, toasted
Special equipment: 1 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom
For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cookie crumbs and 5 tablespoons butter in medium bowl. Stir until crumbs are evenly coated and beginning to stick together. Press crumb mixture in thin even layer onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Bake crust until set and beginning to crisp, pressing with back of fork if crust puffs, about 15 minutes. Cool crust completely on rack.
For filling and topping :
Sprinkle almond paste over crust. Gently press to even layer. Place chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until melted and smooth. Pour ganache evenly over almond layer. Chill tart until chocolate is cold and set, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Arrange raspberries, pointed side up, over top of tart. Stir jam and kirsch in small pan over low heat until blended and heated through. Brush glaze over berries. Sprinkle almonds around edge of tart. DO AHEAD: can be made 6 hours ahead. Chill uncovered.
Using small sharp knife, loosen crust from pan sides. Push up pan bottom, releasing tart. Cut into wedges; serve cold.
Made by Denise for the Feb. meeting from Bon Appétit (December 2010 by Dede Wilson) It was outstanding!
Roasted Carrot and Tomato Soup with Basil
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 cups water
2 3/4 cups (about) low-fat (1%) milk
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Arrange onion, tomatoes, carrots and garlic cloves on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender and brown, turning occasionally, about 55 minutes. Cool slightly. Peel garlic cloves. Transfer vegetables to large bowl (do not clean baking sheet).
Add 1 cup water to baking sheet, scraping up browned bits; add to blender, then add half of vegetables and puree until smooth. Transfer to large saucepan. Add remaining vegetables and 1 1/2 cups water to blender and puree. Transfer to same saucepan. Gradually add enough milk to soup to thin to desired consistency. Stir in 1/4 cup basil. Simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil and serve.
Made by Denise at our Feb. meeting, from Bon Appétit (September 1999)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 cups water
2 3/4 cups (about) low-fat (1%) milk
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Arrange onion, tomatoes, carrots and garlic cloves on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender and brown, turning occasionally, about 55 minutes. Cool slightly. Peel garlic cloves. Transfer vegetables to large bowl (do not clean baking sheet).
Add 1 cup water to baking sheet, scraping up browned bits; add to blender, then add half of vegetables and puree until smooth. Transfer to large saucepan. Add remaining vegetables and 1 1/2 cups water to blender and puree. Transfer to same saucepan. Gradually add enough milk to soup to thin to desired consistency. Stir in 1/4 cup basil. Simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil and serve.
Made by Denise at our Feb. meeting, from Bon Appétit (September 1999)
Easy Cranberry and Apple Cake
From the kitchen of The Barefoot Contessa and Mary Malloy
Ingredients
Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.
Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.
Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.