INGREDIENTS
FILLING
4 oz or 1/4lb Dulce Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup Light sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp Honey
1 Egg yolk, large
Pinch of Kosher Salt & Cracked Black Pepper
CRUST
1/2 Hazelnuts, roasted, ground
1 tbsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
3/4 + 2 tbsp Flour, all purpose
6 tbsp Butter, unsalted, chilled
1-3 tbsp Ice water
1 tsp Cinnamon or Thyme or Rosemary (these flavors each will work well with filling so, your choice)
2 pint jars Pickled pears or you can poach fresh pears (for pickled pear recipe see below)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Making crust using a food processor. Place flour, cool, ground hazelnuts, salt, sugar and butter and pulse until combined. Add water 1 tbsp at a time to help the mixture blend completely.
3. Place dough on plastic wrap sheet, cover and roll into a log shape, chill for 30 min.
4. For the filling, place cheese, yolk, sour cream, honey and S&P into a blender or vita mix and puree.
5. Remove crust. Spray a tart or pie pan with nonstick spray. Unwrap dough and place into pan. Using the piece of plastic wrap to come in contact with the dough, press it flat into pan. This protects your hands and smooths the dough evenly.
6. Using a fork, prick the dough in several places. Place foil over the whole crust and weigh it down with dry rice or dry beans. Place in oven to bake for 20 minutes.
7. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and rice or beans. Cook tart shell an additional 15 minutes until edges begin turning golden brown.
8. Remove tart shell from oven. Pour in the filling and top with slices of pears.
9. Return to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.
10. Remove from oven. Can top with additional roasted hazelnuts.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Recipe by "Joy of Pickling"
6 lbs Bosc pears, pitted, peeled, sliced
4 Cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp whole cloves
1 inch Ginger, fresh, sliced thin
3 cups Water
2 cups Distilled white vinegar
4 cups Sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place spices in a sachet of cheesecloth.
2. Using a nonreactive pot, bring water, sugar, vinegar, spices to a boil- creating an infused syrup.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min.
4. Add in pears and cook until tender ~5-10 min.
5. Place pears and syrup into clean pint jars. Seal with lid.
6. Place jars into a boiling water bath and process for 15 minutes.
Mushroom & Hazelnut Pate
No one will miss the meat. This vegetarian spread is a crowd pleaser, especially for mushroom lovers. This recipe could be made vegan if like and I will note what changes to make below.
INGREDIENTS
1cup hazelnuts, unsalted, roasted (can substitute walnuts or pecans but roasted unsalted)
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (rehydrate w/a cup of boiling water)
1 lb cremini or baby portobello mushrooms (or 1 store bought container)
2-4 dry packed sun dried tomato halves (if plump and large use 2 halves only)
1/2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese (substitute nutritional yeast for vegan version)
2 tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce (Tamari if you prefer)
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp porcini soaking liquid (from rehydrating them)
1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Miso, Light
1 tsp Rosemary, chopped
1 tsp Thyme, chopped
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Serves with bread slices, feeds 6
DIRECTIONS
- Place porcinis in a bowl and pour bowling water over them. Soak for about 1 hour to rehydrate.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place nuts on a baking sheet (do not grease or spray).
- Roast nuts for about 20-30min. Careful not to burn.
- Remove nuts and allow them to cool.
- Place remaining ingredients into a food processor or Vita Mix blender. Add the hydrated porcinis along with 2 tbsp of the liquid they soaked in. Add cooled nuts. Process until smooth.
- Serve with bread, toast or crackers.
Dal Makhani Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 cup French Lentils (rinsed and remove debris)
~2 cups Chicken broth or water (pending on pot, need enough to come ~2 inches above your lentils)
1 tbsp Ghee
2 Shallots, peeled & diced
2 Anaheim Chilies (roasted, peeled, seeded, choppeded or substitute jalapenos)
4 Sun-dried Tomatoes (drained)
1 Clove Garlic, peeled & diced
1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 1/2 tsp Cumin, ground
1 tsp Asafoetida ( can substitute 1 leek, rinsed well, diced)
1 tsp Black Pepper , ground or fresh cracked
1 tsp Black Mustard Seed
1 1/2 tsp Aleppo Pepper flakes (substitute Korean Red Pepper flakes or cut amt. in 1/2 when using red pepper flakes as they typically include the seeds and the others do not)
3 tbsp Cilantro, fresh, chopped (can reserve a bit for garnish)
Optional 1 Smoked, Dry, Sweet Chile Pepper, whole (substitute pinch of smoked paprika)
Optional Greek Yogurt (garnish for each serving)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preparing the lentils is easy. On high heat place lentils into a pot and cover with cooking liquid (broth or water). Be certain that your liquid comes at least 2 inches above lentils. Add the smoked, dry chile.
2. Bring to a boil. Then immediately reduce the heat to low and allow the lentils to become as soft as you desire ~ 1hour. Note: Length of cooking time will vary based on just how dry your lentils are and the texture you prefer. I like mine still intact and brothy - so, I add additional liquid as they cook. DO NOT SALT lentils until after they have cooked!
3. When lentils are soft enough for your liking, prepare the spice mixture. Remove the whole, now rehydrated chile.
4. Melt the ghee in a pan.
5. Add Shallots, garlic (and leeks if using them) and brown.
6. Add the roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes, rehydrated chile & saute.
7. When veggies are soft and browned, add all the spices creating somewhat of a paste.
8. Turn off heat.
9. Remove about 1/2 cup of the lentils and cooking liquid and add to a blender.
10. Add the spice, onion mix to the blender and then puree
11. Add the pureed mixture back into the pot of lentils stirring.
Enjoy over rice or with warmed flat bread.
Braised Bison Osso Buco Pie
Quick, easy use of leftovers.
4 osso buco cut of bison (of course you sub beef)
1 package of cremini mushrooms (sub any type of mushroom you prefer)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 small bunch of skinny carrots ~ 4-5 or a handful of baby carrots
1 bundle of fresh Thyme (4-5sprigs)
1/2cup rinsed pickled cherries-optional (could sub dried cherries or figs and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp clove)
Fresh cracked black pepper
Beef stock or broth
1 package Demi-glace
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (optional)
1 beaten egg
1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions:
- Add all the above ingredients to a slow cooker.
- Add enough stock to just cover the meat.
- Spoon pre-packaged demi-glace (available at grocery in the sauce/soup aisle - small disc of concentrate) into slow cooker and mix into broth until dissolved.
- Cook on High for 4 hours or slow for 8.
- Upon completion of cooking, discard Thyme sprigs. Remove meat and pull from the bone. Discard bone, fatty tissue and tendon. If you desire - scoop out marrow and eat on toast.
For immediate consumption--
- Skim off fat and serve meat, broth, veggies etc...over brown rice or mashed potatoes. Otherwise place contents into refrigerator and allow it to cool so fat can solidify making it easier to remove.
To Make Pie:
Note: this will not use all the osso buco- there will be plenty remaining in slow cooker for left overs.
- Pre-heat oven to 400F. Place some flour on work surface to prevent pastry from sticking.
- Roll out pastry, keeping the rectangular shape. Roll dough just enough so it will hang over a pie plate on all sides. Place pastry over pie plate gently taking care not to tear (enough butter in the dough your pie plate does not need greasing). Using hands press dough into plate allowing extra dough to drape over the sides.
- Using a slotted spoon, place drained meat and veggies into center of dough ~ 3-4cups of filling.
 |
| Filling placed inside pastry draped over pie plate |
and repeat again until all 4 sides have covered the filling.
5. Cut several vertical slits into dough. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and bake for 30 min.
enough to brown the crust.
heat 2 cups of the broth from the slow cooker to a simmer. In a bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tbsp
of broth making a roux. Add roux to simmering sauce and allow to thicken on the stove. Will develop a
beautiful shine and can be served aside the pie.
Grilled Peaches with cinnamon and drizzled with vanilla infused cream
Simply rinse your peaches. Cut in half, remove pit. Sprinkle the flesh side with ground Cinnamon.
I love to do this right after we have grilled a meal and turned the flame off. Then place peaches on and grill for about 2 minutes. Just enough to create those beautiful grill marks and begin to caramelized those natural sugars.
Vanilla infused cream:
Place cold cream (1 small container-pint)in a mixing bowl and add seeds from one whole vanilla bean (you can substitute 1 tsp Real Vanilla Extract). Drizzle over warm peaches.
Variations:
-If you prefer whipped cream - whip the cream until soft peaks form.
-For slightly sweetened cream, add up 2 tbsp powdered sugar to mix prior to whipping.
-Substitute fresh Apricots or Plums for peaches.
*If you are just grilling fruit and have not recently been grilling:
-Just turn your grill on high and let it heat up for about 5 minutes, clean the grates and then turn the flames off. -Places your peaches on flesh side down and leave them for about 2 minutes.
Low Sugar Blueberry Basil Sorbet
~2-3 pints fresh blueberries, cleaned (fills a blender about 2/3rds full)
`2 handfuls of whole, fresh, cleaned basil leaves (roughly 4 full stalks)
2 tbsp to a 1/4C of simple syrup (depending on how sweet you like your sorbet)
Directions:
Rinse berries and basil well.
Place both berries and basil into blender, puree. Taste at this point.
Add simple syrup 2 tbsp at a time, blend, and taste to determine the level of desired sweetness (this varies based on both pallet and ripeness & varietal of berry).
For Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachment
Attach bowl and paddle, lock and turn machine on low speed.
Gently pour your blueberry mixture into working kitchen aid.
Mix for ~20 minutes.
For smooth and loose texture eat immediately.
For more firm texture- scoopable - place in freezer.
Will keep in air tight container in freezer for ~ 1 mo.
Low Sugar Blueberry Lemon Jam
5 cups cleaned, crushed, blueberries
1 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or you made substitute 2 tbsp real lemon extract)
1 box no sugar pectin
1-3 cups sugar (varies pending on your taste preference, Splenda for baking is also an option)
Directions:
Follow pectin packet directions for cooked jams.
Flavor Variations:
-Substitute 1 cup coconut water for a tropical hint.
-Go high antioxidant jam substitute 1 cup acai or pomegranate juice for the water.
-Substitute 1 cup of your favorite fruity White Wine -jam makes a flavorful cheese preserve.
- Add complimentary herb (basil, Thai basil, cilantro) pureed (using 1 cup water called for in recipe)- sounds strange but these flavors pair great with peanuts/peanut butter - think of Thai dishes (fruit + herb + nuts). Makes great jacked up PB&J's or paired with lamb.
Home Jamming/Canning Shortcuts
- Sterilize jars in dishwasher
- Run a cycle while prepping the jam. When ready open dishwasher, pull out only the amount of jars needed, keeping remaining hot and ready for next batch. Keeps kitchen cooler and saves on stove top space.
- No Need for Boiling Method for sealing.
- For fruit jams cooked- I don't need to use boiling canning method to seal jars. Simply heat your lids and rings in a boiling water bath. Upon filling hot jars, with hot jam, wipe rim, add sealing lid and screw on ring flip jars upside down to cool. The heat from the hot jam will generate the seal you need.
2 cups Greek style yogurt (Fat free if you like)
1 cup Skim Milk (you may use all yogurt no milk)
1 small jar of home made LS Blueberry jam (recipe above)* I use this as my sweetener
1 cup whole or roughly chopped blueberries
Directions:
Mix yogurt, milk and jam in blender. Add berries. Do not blend.
For Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachment
Attach bowl and paddle, lock and turn machine on low speed.
Gently pour your mixture into working kitchen aid.
Mix for ~30 minutes.
For semi-frosty style texture eat immediately.
For more firm texture- scoopable - place in freezer for an hour.
Will keep in air tight container in freezer for ~ 1 mo.
*If you prefer to avoid tart frozen yogurt, add simple syrup (2/3 c sugar 2/3 cup water, bring to a simmer, cool, add to mixture)
Nut Free Pestos
Company is coming for dinner short notice. No time to hit the store. Have to leverage what I have.
For quick easy meal in Baltimore's unusually hot (90F) May we didn't want to use the oven. So, Grill or stove top.
We had some homemade pasta in the frig already so, that was a no brainer. But, what kind of sauce & toppings would please everyone and feel appropriate with our heat wave. Cream or meat sauces felt too rich!
What about pesto?
Well, Basil is not yet in season and I have no pine nuts. I do have tomatoes I dried from last season in the freezer. I have fresh arugula, spinach and peas! So, what if I attempt 2 pestos - no cooking really- just the food processor.
Oven Dried Tomato Pesto Recipe (makes 6-8 servings)
- Hydrate your dried tomatoes in olive oil (if frozen- thaw first) ~1 Cup
- Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese grated ~1/2 Cup
- Crushed Garlic ~ 1tsp
- Olive Oil (extra virgin or any kind of oil you like the flavor of) ~1/4-1/2 Cup
- Fresh Lemon juice ~ 1 tsp or Zest
- Fresh Cracked Pepper ~1 tsp - to taste
No salt added due to cheese used.
All measurements are approximations based on how thick and dry your tomatoes are. Mine were dried, frozen and thin so even hydrated they were not plum like store bought.
If you use tomatoes preserved in oil- start with that amount of oil, add all other ingredients.
Add more oil based on desired consistency.
* Feel free to add any Italian type herbs you have on hand for additional flavor or chile flakes for heat.
Fresh Pea & Greens Pesto Recipe (makes 8-10 servings)
- Fresh Shelled Peas ~1 Cup (steam in microwave for ~30-45seconds - just enough to soften outer shell)
- Fresh, Cleaned, Chopped Spinach ~1 1/2 Cups
- Fresh, Cleaned, Chopped Arugula ~1 1/2 Cups
- Olive oil (extra virgin or any kind of oil you like the flavor of) ~1/8-1/4 Cup (less oil is needed due to moisture of greens and peas)
- Fresh Crushed Garlic ~ 1 tsp (depends on how sharp garlic is)
- Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese grated 1/8-1/4 Cup (depends on consistency you like - start at 1/8 cup add more as you go)
- Fresh Lemon juice 1/2 large lemon ~1.5 tbsp
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper ~1 tsp
All measurements are approximations based on how creamy you like your pesto.
You can always add more oil as you go. To control fat content I start with as little as possible.
* Feel free to add parsley or mint for a different twist.
Pesto could be served room temperature or chilled depending on your mood.
We heated our pasta and served each pesto on the side and our guests add their own sauce to their pasta. Some mixed and matched.
Paired with Grilled asparagus.
Dessert: Homemade Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet!
