Artichoke Tarts

I hosted Bunco on Friday night, we had a fantastic time, but the foods were the highlight. I made artichoke tarts and need to add some of the fantastic recipes I had to my repertoire. There were amazing potato puffs coated in crushed cornflakes, shrimp wrapped in phyllo and chicken quesadillas. I stuffed myself silly. We also enjoyed some challah, apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah. It was a lovely evening spent with even more lovely friends, new and old.

I use a mini ice cream disher to fill the wontons, it's really easy.



Artichoke Tarts

32 (3 1/4-inch square) won ton wrappers
4 ounces (1 cup ) Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
Fresh parsley sprigs, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 32 miniature muffin cups with no-stick cooking spray. Gently press 1 won ton wrapper into each muffin cup, allowing ends to extend above cups. Spray edges of wrappers with no-stick cooking spray. Set aside.Combine cheese, cream cheese, ground red pepper and mustard in medium bowl; mix well. Stir in bell pepper and artichoke hearts. Spoon about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture into each cup. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until cheese mixture is set and edges of wrappers are lightly browned. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve warm.

Pin It Now!

Ribeyes with Chimichurri and Maduros

One of my favorite restaurants is Americas. I love the fried plantain chips and the chimichurri. C was all excited thinking I was frying up plantain chips, so he was disappointed when it turned out to be maduros instead. This recipe makes a lot, so I am going to pick up so plantain chips tomorrow. He also picked all the chimichurri off his steak, he said he only likes it with the chips. I thought it was really flavorful.

For the plantains, just get ones that are starting to turn black. Peel the plantains and bias cut them. Fry them in about 1/4" of oil over medium high heat. Fry for five minutes on each side, drain on a wire rack over a baking sheet. You can keep the maduros in a warm oven while you finish them up. Miss F adored the fried plantains, I think they are going to be a favorite.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons minced onion
5 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
5 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Chop up the parsley a bit. This will make processing easier. Add parsley and garlic to food processor and hit the pulse button a few times to mince. Add remaining ingredients and pulse some more. Stir in the oil.

If you like the fresh crisp flavor of parsley, use immediately. Letting it rest overnight will balance out the flavors.

Pin It Now!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

After making two batches of chocolate chip cookies in one week, I was still craving chocolate chips. Thankfully I have the giant bag of chips from Costco. When I was in Paris as a kid, they served chocolate chip cookies along with the chocolate croissants for breakfast. How good is that? Maybe next Sunday I should just bake up a batch of cookies instead of pancakes. Miss F loved these pancakes and she made herself quite the chocolate-y mess. I even snuck her a plain chip or two, which she adored. These are great on a lazy Sunday morning...and I bet cookies would be even better.




Chocolate Chip Pancakes

1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4- 1/3 cupchocolate chips

shortening (for cooking)

Whisk the egg in a large bowl, adding the buttermilk, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and let batter set for a few minutes. Heat the griddle over medium heat. Using a paper towel, spread shortening over the griddle. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone.

Pin It Now!

Sweet Orange Rolls

The Houston Junior League serves the world's best orange rolls. Considering they are the only orange rolls I have ever eaten, there isn't much competition. That being said, they are quite delicious and I really wanted to try my hand at them at home. We have a breakfast club at work every Thursday morning and this past week was my turn. This recipe made enough for two pans, perfect for a large crowd. Next time I will use the big oven, because the ones on the bottom rack got a little overdone on the bottom.




Orange Rolls

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)
1 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons grated orange peel (about two oranges worth)

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Juice from two oranges

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. In a large mixing bowl, mix milk, shortening, sugar, salt and egg. Add yeast mixture and blend. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; divide in half. Roll each half into a 15-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Mix filling ingredients until smooth. Spread half the filling on each rectangle. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a long end. Cut each into 15 rolls. Place in two greased 11-in x 13-in. baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Mix glaze ingredients; spread over warm rolls

Pin It Now!

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Since I am still "borrowing" the pasta roller from a friend, I decided to make more ravioli. I really think I need to invest in one of my own. I really enjoy making fresh pasta. Again, I used Joelen's recipe for the pasta. I used an Emeril recipe for the butternut squash. I have made this before using wonton wrappers, but it is so much better with fresh pasta. C asked "where's the meat?" Next time we have it, I will served meat with it since there was enough to freeze. This filling is fantastic, I would recommend trying it even with wonton wrappers. It is an easy fix for me, I used half the big squash for Miss F's food for the freezer and half for the ravioli.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

9 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 cup roasted butternut squash puree
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus 2 ounces
Pinch nutmeg
1 recipe pasta dough, rolled out into wide ribbons, about 1/4-inch thick
12 fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add the squash puree and cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons cheese and nutmeg, to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.

Cut the pasta ribbons into 3-inch squares. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each pasta square. Bring 1 corner of the square to the other, forming a triangle and seal the pasta completely. Add the pasta to pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes or until the pasta floats and is pale in color.

Remove the pasta from the water and drain well. Season the pasta with salt and pepper.

In a large saute pan, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter. Add the sage to the butter and continue to cook until the butter starts to brown. Remove from the heat.

Place some of the pasta in the center of each serving plate. Spoon the butter sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle the 2 ounces of cheese over each plate and garnish with parsley.

Pin It Now!