Archive for August, 2008This week on Food Network, Barefoot Contessa has some great recipes, including Mexican Chicken Soup and a “grown-up” version of Mac and Cheese. The Mexican Chicken soup recipe is almost identical to the recipe that’s in her cookbook, Barefoot Contessa At Home and I can attest that it’s delicious. I think it’s really special if you make the homemade tortilla strips as a garnish for the soup – gives it a nice crunch. Go to Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe and give it a try. I think I’m going to try the grown-up version of Mac and Cheese this week. Since Mac and Cheese is what I consider one of the ultimate comfort foods, I’m always on the lookout for new recipes. This recipe sounds very similar to many others that I’ve made, but the Roquefort cheese is a new twist. Since I love bleu cheese, it sounds like it will add a new flavor to an old classic. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Paula Deen is baking a classic NY cheesecake this week that’s topped with chocolate. Doesn’t sound like anything can go wrong with that combination! Speaking of New York cheesecake, I tend to prefer a bit lighter cheesecake than what I have typically found with the New York style cheesecake. Sometimes, I have found the NY variety a bit dense and too heavy. The version that I make has more sour cream in it and maybe not so much cream cheese, which I find makes a lighter cheesecake. I’d love to hear from you all regarding your favorite cheesecake recipes. Which do you prefer – dense or lighter?
 Coming Soon! You’ll never want another type of pot scrubber again. These pot scrubbers are tough enough to scrub your dirtiest pans, but work equally as well on your dishes. They last forever and can be cleaned by running them through the dishwasher (top rack, please). I’ll be offering these, along with the wonderful Caldrea dish washing liquid.
Yield: 1 Serving INGREDIENTS 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3 fresh basil leaves Salt and freshly grated pepper to taste 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 slice of your favorite cheese – suggestions – white cheddar or fresh mozzarella PREPARATION Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take one medium sized, boneless, skinless chicken breast and slice across the breast and open it up to make a larger, thinner breast. Drizzle some olive oil over the sliced breast and add the chopped garlic, fresh basil and cheese. Sprinkle with salt and freshly grated black pepper. Fold over the breast to enclose the garlic, basil and cheese mixture. Place in lightly oiled baking pan and bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes until golden brown on the outside. Note: cooking times will vary dependent on how large the chicken breast. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes. Serve with oven roasted potatoes, orzo or rice.
Butter Lettuce with Radicchio ~ “French Onion” Mac & Cheese ~ Fresh Green Beans with Sesame Seeds and Soy
Yield: 8 Servings INGREDIENTS
Topping: Bechamel Sauce: “French Onion “Soup”: PREPARATION Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Topping: Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and set aside. Bechamel Sauce: Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and stir to combine. Stir constantly, for about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium and whisk in the milk or half-and-half, adding a little at a time and cook until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Lower heat, season with the salt and pepper and add Gruyere and mozzarella cheeses. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside. French Onion “Soup:” Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add onions, cover, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove cover, add garlic and honey, and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper. Remove pot from heat and add sherry. Return to heat and stir to remove browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce sherry by half, then add stock and thyme and cook until almost all liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat. Grease a 3-quart baking dish or casserole with the last tablespoon of butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine cooked pasta with onion “soup” mixture and bechamel sauce, and stir well to combine. Transfer pasta to baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumb/Parmesan topping. Bake until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Recipe: Brett Greenberg, New York, NY - Ultimate Recipe Showdown: Comfort Foods Yield: 4 Servings
INGREDIENTS 1 cup walnut halves, toasted Blue Cheese Dressing, recipe follows PREPARATION Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Salad: Lay the bacon strips on a roasting rack and bake in the oven until crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside. Toast walnuts in 375 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. When cooled, rough chop. Hard boil egg, peel and finely chop – set aside. Remove the large outer leaves from the romaine hearts and rinse. Chop these leaves into bite-size pieces. Halve the hearts through the cores to make 4 wedges. Divide the wedges among 4 plates. Mound some of the chopped romaine on top and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon about 1/4 cup of Blue Cheese Dressing over each salad and top with some of the chopped egg, bacon and toasted walnuts. Pass the remaining dressing at the table. Blue Cheese Dressing: Yield: 2 cups 1 cup mayonnaise Pulse the mayonnaise, blue cheese, buttermilk, shallot, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and celery seeds in a food processor to make a chunky but pourable sauce. Stir in the parsley and season with plenty of pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days. This hot fudge sauce is easy to make and yummy. Leftovers can be heated in the microwave. Serve over ice cream or make a brownie sundae. Yield: 2 cups INGREDIENTS PREPARATION Yield: 20-22 cookies INGREDIENTS 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut PREPARATION Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or two teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.
Ina Garten – Barefoot Contessa – Family Style – October 2002 
Although we use eggs practically everyday, how much do you really know about these incredible edibles? There is really nothing so versatile than the egg. Use them solo to make great omelettes and deviled eggs or team them up with other ingredients to make a variety of cakes, cookies and other delicious dishes. Here are some amazing facts about eggs: -On average, Americans eat more than 250 eggs per year. Source: Rebecca Lang - Athens Magazine - November 2007
Yield: 4-5 cups
INGREDIENTS 1 lb fresh cranberries 1 cup water 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 1 whole orange, seeds removed and chopped (about 1 cup) 1 cup peeled and chopped golden delicious apple 1 cup peeled and chopped pear 1 cup golden raisins 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted PREPARATION In a medium heavy saucepan combine cranberries and water and cook until the berries burst, about 10 minutes. Add all other ingredients, except pecans and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, approximately 25 minutes. Add nuts, stir to combine and allow to cool. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl or jar and refrigerate. Yield: 4 Servings INGREDIENTS 4 English muffins, halved and toasted 16 slices of Canadian bacon, heated and lightly browned 8 eggs poached Hollandaise Sauce 5 egg yolks* 1 lemon, juiced 2 tablespoons water Salt Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 lb hot melted butter PREPARATION Hollandaise Sauce: Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, water, salt and cayenne pepper into the blender. Blend until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. With blender going, slowly drizzle the butter into the egg yolk mixture in a slow, thin stream. Blend well and adjust for salt and lemon. Keep the sauce warm while you prepare the eggs in a bowl of warm water.
Poached Eggs: In a skillet, bring water to a slight shimmer, add 1 tablespoon vinegar and stir. Break eggs into a cup and gently slide them into the simmering water. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes until the egg is set. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon.
Assembly: Top each muffin half with 2 slices of Canadian bacon and 1 poached egg. Spoon the hollandaise sauce on each of the poached eggs. *RAW EGG WARNING Raw egg is not recommended for infants, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. To avoid the risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness, you can use pasteurized egg yolk instead.  Yield: 4 Servings
INGREDIENTS
¼ stick of unsalted butter 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped into chiffonade 9 ounces package mini penne pasta 1 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half 3 cups pulled cooked chicken meat 1 cup roasted red peppers, sliced 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and freshly grated pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta and set aside. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet and then add the chopped garlic. Saute over medium heat until the garlic is soft. Add the pulled chicken, whipping cream, basil and roasted red peppers, heat until hot, approximately 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese to the chicken mixture and toss. Pile pasta onto large serving platter and garnish with additional chopped fresh basil. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese. | ||||||||||||
