|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recipes of the Month February 2012
Ricotta Cheese
4 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 ½ tsp salt ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Place all ingredients into a nonreactive sauce pan. Stir to just combine. Gently heat to a low boil. You will notice it starting to form curds after a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and let set for 15 minutes. Line a colander with cheese cloth and place over a bowl. Gently using a large spoon scoop curds into the colander. Place in the refrigerator to continue draining. Drain for at least 1 hour. The longer you drain the ricotta the denser and more flavorful the cheese will be. When drained place ricotta in an air tight container- it keeps for several days.
If curds do not form try adding another 1 tbsp lemon juice, stirring gently to not break up any curds that have formed, and setting for another 5 minutes.
Makes 1 cup.
Mark's Very Simple Sangria
4 large oranges sliced 4 lemons sliced 2 limes sliced ½ cup brandy 1/3 cup sugar 2 bottles decent inexpensive dry red wine (like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah)
Put fruit in a glass container. Pour brandy over fruit and muddle to release juice and combine with brandy. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Pour wine in a bowl add sugar and stir till sugar is dissolved. Add wine to the fruit stir to combine.
Pour into glasses filled with ice use a couple of fruit slices for garnish.
Previous Recipes of the Month
Breakfast and Brunch
Oatmeal Pancakes These hearty pancakes are excellent and are a family favorite at our house.
Baked Apples with Granola and Dates We made this dish in a Brunch class. Sadly I forgot to serve them! My neighbors were very happy to help out, and they gave this dish rave reviews. Lesson for the day: always check both ovens!
Banana Bread with Poppy Seeds This is a great way to use up overripe bananas. I make this and give the loaves to my neighbors. I have happy neighbors.
Apple Pancakes A restaurant in Rockaway Beach, Oregon made these amazing pancakes. It was my favorite dish on their menu. The new owners dropped apple pancakes from the menu, so I had to figure out how to make them myself!
Breakfast Risotto with Cinnamon Toast We made this recipe in brunch class and everyone really enjoyed it. It's delicious and an interesting twist on risotto.
Eggs Benedict with Goat Cheese Polenta and Pesto Hollandaise My friend Amy McFall-Prince, who writes the wonderful food blog “The Dinner Hour” (www.thedinnerhour.blogspot.com) suggested that I post a brunch recipe in the May newsletter. She said that it’s brunch season. I love Eggs Benedict in any form, and I make several variations. This version is a little complicated, but the results are worth the work.
Appetizers
Hummus I have given out this recipe so many times I decided it was time to have it on the website. This is so easy to make and I think it tastes better than any store-bought hummus. Plus, you can adjust the flavors- more lemon, more garlic, however you like it!
Mushroom Pâté This appetizer is a family favorite. It was first served to us by a catering friend in Bristol, England. I guarantee once your guests try this pâté they will be asking for the recipe, just like I did 18 years ago.
Lenora's Clam Dip Lenora, my mother in law, was an excellent cook- one of her generation who went bravely into the recipes of Sunset magazine every month. Her clam dip most likely started with a Sunset recipe, but of course was modified and "improved" over the years. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Deviled Eggs (Curried Deviled Eggs and Shrimp Deviled Eggs) These recipes are a bit different and delicious- a great way to use those dyed Easter eggs (you might even want to have your kids dye twice as many!).
Pasta Shells with Tuna This recipe is great for a picnic or an appetizer. Because the pasta shells are rolled in ground almonds after stuffing, they are easily eaten out of hand.
Sweet and Spicy Nuts I made these nuts as holiday gifts a couple of years ago. They are easy to make and are a yummy treat to share with friends and family.
Roasted Red Pepper and Pesto Strudel I created this recipe about 15 years ago. It’s made with pantry staples and is easy to make, but looks elegant and impressive, and tastes wonderful. You can cut the strudels thinly for an appetizer, or serve a larger portion as a starter.
Bruschetta Bruschetta is a very simple appetizer. This recipe is traditional, with just tomatoes, garlic and basil. Olive oil brings all of the flavors together.
Salads
Salad with Chévre (goat cheese) Crouton This simple yet amazing salad came from the restaurant where I interned when we lived in Barcelona. This was my favorite salad that Chef Phillipe made, and he would make it for me even if it wasn’t on the menu. Use a high-quality goat cheese, preferably one with a rind. This salad is beautiful plated individually.
Zucchini Salad with Cilantro Dressing I have not offered this recipe in a class, but I have used it several times for catered events to great reviews. Since zucchini is available year-round this is a great salad to serve instead of the predictable side of lettuce.
Southwest Caesar Salad I catered a western-themed party and invented this recipe as part of the menu. It’s a Caesar salad with a smoked paprika Caesar dressing and roasted corn. My clients liked it so well I decided to share it.
Couscous Salad with Nectarines and Chickpeas and a Honey-Cumin Dressing This is a great salad to serve along side barbequed meats, or is perfect for your next picnic. The ingredients can be prepared in advance and tossed together before serving.
Greek Lentil Salad This is a great salad, side dish, or even a main dish served with Greek pitas or a crusty French bread.
Ensalada de Judias Blancas (white bean salad) I have made this salad several times for catered events and it's been very popular- simple to make, but it will impress your guests.
Orange Rosemary Potato Salad This recipe comes from a favorite cookbook called "Potato Salad- Fifty Favorite Recipes" by Barbara Lauterbach. I've played with the dressing to make the flavor a little more intense, and I get great reviews every time I serve it.
Rosemary Chicken Salad with Smoked Almonds This recipe is perfect for a picnic. I usually serve this chicken salad on potato rolls, but it would also be great on a bed of baby greens lightly dressed with a basic vinaigrette.
Tortellini and Vegetable Salad with an Orange Dressing This is a simple recipe that looks impressive, has lots of color, and tastes wonderful.
Spinach, Mushroom, Pear, and Blue Cheese Salad This is a very simple recipe and everyone loves it. Enjoy!
Dried Cherry and Almond Chicken Salad This is a tasty addition to your picnic basket or patio gathering. It’s easy to make starting with a store-bought roasted chicken, adding cherries, nuts, and a few chili flakes for zip.
Grilled Chicken Salad with Blackberries My sister loves to pick berries, and on a recent visit she picked lots of blackberries at our neighborhood park. This is a great way to use them to make a simple, wonderful dinner salad for our warm summer evenings.
Main Dishes
Pork Roast with Pancetta This is a wonderful pork roast recipe and a favorite at my Holiday Dinner Party class last year. Don’t be tempted to cut this recipe in half because the leftovers make great sandwiches and quesadillas.
Seafood Fideua with Alioli This is a traditional Spanish dish. It's very popular at cooking class and at dinner parties- everyone wants the recipe!
Parmesan Chicken Breasts This kid-friendly dish is easy to assemble and cooks in minutes. It's a favorite at our house.
Minestrone Soup Since the days are getting cooler I'm still using up zucchini. You can omit the sausage and change the beef broth to vegetable broth to make the dish vegetarian, without losing any of the flavor. Serve with warm bread sticks and enjoy.
Zucchini Stuffed with Lamb and Rice I planted two zucchini plants this summer and they are very happy. So if you’re like us and you have more zucchini than you can find recipes for, this recipe received high praise from my family.
Baby Back Ribs Korean Style I found this recipe several years ago in a magazine and it's become a family favorite. The sauce is light and the cooking directions are uncomplicated.
Shrimp Quesadillas with Tomatillo Salsa This recipe is easy to make, kid-friendly, and you can make the salsa in advance. Tomatillos have a fresh, tart flavor, giving this simple recipe a little sophistication.
Thai Crab Cakes with Orange and Avocado Salsa This is a very easy recipe, and is one of the best crab cake recipes that I've tried. I love crab cakes, so I've tried many.
Middle Eastern Chili This simple and delicious chili was the favorite recipe from the Chili class.
Penne Pasta with Asparagus and Smoked Salmon This is a simple and elegant pasta dish.
Salmon Spaghetti Sauce I developed this recipe to use leftover cooked salmon. It sounds a little different, but it is very good.
Amazing Macaroni and Cheese So what's exciting about mac and cheese? This is the adult version. Warning- it may make your kids give up Kraft! (well, maybe not...)
Tortilla Español Tortilla Español is a very traditional potato omelet. I learned how to make tortilla when we were living in Spain, and this recipe is one of my family's favorites. It's very easy to make and is an unbelievably versatile dish.
Mu Shu Vegetables and Tofu This is a very easy dish to make. You can use meat instead of tofu if you like, and subtract or add vegetables to your liking. Using flour tortillas for the wraps adds to the convenience. Enjoy.
Thai Ginger Chicken Soup This soup is very quick to put together using basic ingredients. It has an amazingly bright flavor combining lime juice, ginger, and cilantro in a coconut broth.
Lamb Cobbler I made this dish earlier this month and posted it on Facebook and Twitter. Several people inquired about the recipe. So with the weather getting cooler, this is a great casserole to warm up your kitchen.
Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Prosciutto This is a perfect fall soup, with butternut squash, apples, cheddar cheese and crispy prosciutto- Yum!
Side Dishes
Grilled Asparagus with Prosciutto This is a simple dish with great flavors. The alioli is very Spanish. You will never boil asparagus again!
Amazing Buttermilk Biscuits I found this recipe several years ago in "The Louie's Backyard Cookbook". It makes the best biscuits I've ever eaten. They are especially amazing warm, drizzled with honey.
Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms As expected, my zucchini plants are very happy with the weather we've been having. I've been picking them small and I still can't keep up. This means that you can pick them before they even become zucchinis!
Hannah's Rotkohl This recipe is from my friend Kirsten's mom Hannah, who was born in Germany. It's a favorite in their family that even their kids like, and also was a favorite at the German class!Desserts
Cranberry Sauce with Star Anise and Port Wine We made this recipe during last year's November cooking class. You'll never buy canned cranberry sauce again.
Soft Polenta with Sautéed Mushrooms I love soft polenta, and I hope you and your family will too after trying this. This recipe can be used as either a side or main dish.
Patatas Bravas (roasted potatoes with two sauces) This is a very popular tapas dish in Spain. I hope you like it as much as we do.
Roasted Fennel with Parmesan This simple dish was the most popular dish at a recent Diner Party cooking class. The fennel is tender and mildly flavored, with a crispy crust of sharp salty Parmesan cheese.
Desserts
Peppernodder This recipe is for little spice cookies my mom made during the Holidays. I have continued her tradition of making them very small. I make them the size of quarters and you will be tempted to eat them by the handful. I make several batches each year because it’s impossible to only eat a few.
Chocolate Raspberry Shortcake I love shortcakes- any kind of shortcakes. This is a nice twist on the classic, adding chocolate to the equation. This dessert would also be good substituting the raspberries with blackberries, strawberries, or even bananas.
Crickett's Rhubarb Crunch While visiting Mark’s cousin Crickett in Round Mountain, California, she served this amazing and easy to make rhubarb dessert. It was so good we had to have seconds. We have very healthy rhubarb plants, so I’m always looking for ways to use it up.
Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes This is an elegant dessert. You can put it together a couple of hours in advance and bake it right before serving.
Strawberries with Orange Shortcakes I love strawberry shortcake, and I like real biscuits. These shortcakes are wonderful, and the orange zest adds a nice twist on a classic recipe.
Sherry's Apple Crisp My friend Sherry used to make this apple crisp at the Grant House Café. She never measured, so I've measured and tried to get it as close to hers as I could. This is easy and tastes great served with vanilla ice cream.
Grandma Schwalbe's Sugar Cookies The secret ingredient is nutmeg in the sugar instead of cinnamon. These were my favorite as a child, and they are still my favorite sugar cookies.
Orange Zucchini Cake This is a party favorite. It's a great way to use up some of those extra zuchs, and it's easy and delicious.
English Trifle We went to a wine tasting / pot luck recently. The food had an English theme and I chose to bring dessert, so a trifle was my first choice. So after some great wines and a meal of very tasty dishes, we dove into the trifle. I had not made it for a while, but after one bite, I and everyone else confirmed that the English get a bad rap for their cuisine. This dish is beautiful and tastes as good as it looks.
Sweet Rice Risotto with Rhubarb Port Compote We have lots of rhubarb during the summer. Here is a twist on rice pudding that uses this versatile plant.
|
