Monday, December 27, 2010

Garlic Red Potatoes

This makes the best roasted red potatoes you've ever eaten! From Allrecipes.com


Ingredients

  • 2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish.
  3. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes.
  4. Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown.


Serves: 4

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Arugula Salad with Oranges and Figs

Ingredients

  • Dressing:
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salad:
  • 1 (5-ounce) package arugula
  • 5 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
  • 1/2c. - 1c. chopped figs
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.

2. To prepare salad, combine arugula and three-fourths of dressing in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange about 1/2 cup arugula mixture on each of 10 salad plates; arrange orange slices and figs evenly over salads. Drizzle remaining one-fourth of dressing evenly over salads. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and additional black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately. Or just toss in a big bowl and serve :)

Monday, December 13, 2010

Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Streusal Topping

This is our new pumpkin pie recipe. It takes pumpkin pie to a whole new level. Serve with cinnnamon whipped cream for an even more decadant treat. It is super, duper delicious!

Tart Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream (more as needed)
Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, salt, and sugar on low speed for about 30 seconds. Cut the chilled butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine on low speed abuot 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the mixture looks crumbly, with bits of dough the size of peas.

Whisk the egg with the cream and add to the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until the dough is just combined. Continue mixing for 10 seconds longer. If the dough is too dry to form a ball, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Gently mold the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll the dough out to a 1/8 inch thickness on a generously floured flat surface. Fold it over the rolling pin and gently transfer the dough to a 10 inch tart pan. Press it lightly into place. It is now ready to for you to fill and bake it.

Pumpkin Filling:

1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup bourbon (optional)
Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter

Line a 10-inch tart pan with the tart dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the filling, spoon the pumpkin into a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, the sugars, the salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and flour; whisk vigorously about 30 seconds. Whisk in the cream and bourbon.

To make the topping, combine the flour, both sugars, the cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Pulse 3-5 times, until the mixture is crumbly.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared tart crust. Spoon the streusel topping evenly over the pumpkin mixture. Don’t worry, it won’t fall to the bottom. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is set. Let the tart cool at least 1 hour before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Just before serving, combine the cream, sugar, and cinnamon. Whip until a soft peak forms.

Bourbon Ginger Snap Cocktail

This was a big hit at our Christmas gathering! Very refreshing.

Ingredients:
2 quarts water
1 c. lemon juice (fresh preferred)
1 c. honey
3-inch piece of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced)
6 c. orange juice
4 c. pear nectar
1 liter bourbon
2 lemons (thinly sliced)

In a large saucepan, combine 2 quarts water, 1 c. lemon juice, 1 c. honey and 3-inch piece of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain into a large bowl; let cool.
Add 6 cups orange juice, 4 cups pear nectar, 1 liter bourbon, and 2 lemons (thinly sliced). Refrigerate for 6 hours to chill. Serve over ice or straight up.

Swiss Crab Appetizer Bites

Ingredients:
7.5 ounces lump crabmeat, drained and flaked
1 tablespoon sliced green onion
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 (next time I'm using 1/2) teaspoon curry powder
1 (8 ounce) package puff pastry cups
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix together crabmeat, green onion, Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder and salt and pepper. Spoon equal portions of the crabmeat mixture onto the puff pastry cups. Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.