Greek Shrimp Bruschetta

Refreshing for the summer and 

perfect for a party!

This is a great do-ahead recipe.  The baguette rounds can be toasted a day
or two ahead, and the shrimp mixture can also be prepared ahead and chilled.
If preparing in advance, mix all ingredients together, except the feta cheese.
When ready to serve mix in the feta.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: Coastal Living

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3/4-1 lb. small fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
• 1 French baguette, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch-thick slices

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté shrimp and garlic 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp are cooked.
   
2. Transfer to a small bowl and chill.
   
3. Combine tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in shrimp. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
   
4. Place bread slices on a baking sheet; brush bread with remaining olive oil. Bake at 375º for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let breads cool. (Can be made ahead and stored in a zipper bag.) Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon shrimp mixture onto each bread slice, arrange on a tray and serve.
   

 

Roasted Cauliflower

Spread seasoned cauliflower evenly 

on a baking sheet.

Browned and ready to serve.

For a really quick, delicious and healthy weeknight

veggie, to accompany your meal, this will 

always be a go to choice!

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

1 head of cauliflower rinsed and cut into bite sized pieces

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup bread crumbs or panko

1/4 cup grated pecorino-romano cheese

  Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss. You could also put the ingredients in a zip-lock bag and toss.  Spread evenly on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until browned evenly, and the cauliflower is tender.

Fennel Fig and Almond Bread

Beautifully browned with an intoxicating aroma!

Studded with fig and almond, every bite is full

of interesting flavor.

Making quick breads is fun and easy and a fast 

way to have something wonderful if friends 

are coming for coffee. 

I love all the flavors that are incorporated into this bread

and they are quite unique for a quick bread.

That was also a huge appeal for me in trying this recipe.

You can have banana, zucchini, blueberry, or poppy, at any time,

from almost any store or coffee shop. 

This is the real treat, that you won't find this anywhere, but your 

own home kitchen. 

Toasting the almonds, and crushing the fennel seeds, imparts a heady

smell in the kitchen before the bread even goes in the oven.

I adore figs, and am very fortunate to have a neighbor

with a fig tree.  Frequently, I am experimenting with 

a multitude of ideas on how to use them.

This bread makes me feel like I stepped into an

Italian kitchen, with all of its richness and flavor!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed 

6 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

2/3  cup sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups (8-9 oz) stemmed, diced, white or back dried figs

1 cup (about 4 oz.) slivered almonds, toasted

one 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan, greased and bottom lined with greased parchment paper, cut to fit

Set rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F

Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and crushed fennel seeds in a medium bowl and stir well to mix.

In a large bowl (or bowl of a mixer) beat the margarine until smooth then beat in the sugar.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Beat half the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture, then gently beat in the milk about 1/2 at a time. Beat in remaining flour mixture, being careful not to over mix. Use a rubber spatula to fold in figs and almonds.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake bread until it is well risen and a toothpick or narrow knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about one hour.

Cool the bread in the pan on rack for 5 minutes, then unmold it and cool on rack completely.

Auntie Inga's Sticky Chocolate Cake

Something so marvelous, between a flourless cake(the type that melts in your mouth) 

and a fudge brownie. In Sweden it is called, Kladdkaka.

What a fun recipe from a cute little cookbook.  The book has fun 

Scandinavian recipes, plus so much more.

I have enjoyed reading it from cover to cover.

Recipe Source: Scandikithchen the Essence of Hygge by Bronte Aurell

As Always,

ENJOY!

Ingredients

• 100g /1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 medium eggs
• 200g/ 1 cup caster sugar
• 150g/ 1 cup plain flour
• 4 tbsp Fazer cocoa powder (or a good quality cocoa powder)
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar (we recommend Tørsleffs) or extract
• A pinch of salt
• Whipped cream to serve

Instructions

1. Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly
2. Whisk the egg and sugar together until the mixture is light, fluffy and pale
3. Weigh all the dry ingredients and sift them into the egg and sugar mixture. Fold in until everything is incorporated
4. Fold in the melted butter until you are left with a smooth chocolate mixture
5. Pour into a greased and parchment lined cake tin. This recipe fits a normal 8 inch deep round cake tin. The cake will not rise, but it will puff up slightly during baking
6. Bake at 180°C/350 F  for around 20 minutes. The exact time can vary, so keep an eye on the cake. A perfect kladdkaka is very soft in the middle, but not runny once it has cooled – but almost runny
7. If you press down gently on the cake whilst its baking, the crust should need a bit of pressure to crack. When this happens, the cake is done. Leave to cool in the tin for at least an hour.
8. Serve with whipped cream, dusted with Cocoa powder.

Basil Pesto

Fresh basil in the garden.  So much rain this spring 

allowed for an early crop.

Wash all the picked basil in a large basin.

Drain washed basil on a dish towel.

Add garlic and olive oil to food processor.

Add half the basil to food processor.

Add remaining basil and olive oil.

before it is completely smooth check to see it is not too dry

if it is, add more olive oil.

Add pine nuts.

Add both pecorino romano and 

parmigianno reggiano.

Add pesto to ice cube tray for freezing.

or if you don't have an old ice cube tray, 

divide into small containers, in single portion servings.

Pop out frozen pesto from the tray and containers.

Put frozen cubes into a freezer Ziploc for future use.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Source: Perfect Pasta by Valentina Harris

INGREDIENTS

4 oz. fresh basil leaves

1 Tbsp. pine nuts

2 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp. Parmegianno Reggiano cheese

3 Tbsp. Pecorino Romano cheese

5 Tbsp. olive oil

pinch of salt

   Since I had such an unusually large crop of spring basil, I doubled the recipe, shown in all the photos above.  

   I received this book as a gift when I was in college.  I have been making this recipe for so many years, I usually eyeball all the quantities as I put them in the food processor.  Having exact quantities, as I have given above, will help any beginners in the pesto making.

  Collect all your basil from the garden, by cutting whole stems from the plants.  I collect them straight into a large plastic basin.  Place the basin in your kitchen sink and fill with cool water, to thoroughly wash all the basil.

    Pick just the leaves off the stems and collect on a dish towel where they can drain off excess water. 

   Place peeled garlic cloves and half the olive oil into the bowl of a food processor.  Give it a few pulses to chop up the garlic.  Add half the basil, and pulse a few more times.  Add the remaining basil and remaining olive oil and pulse a few more times.  Before it has thoroughly come together as a paste, check that it is not too dry.  If it seems dry add a 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Give it another quick pulse. 

   Now add your pine nuts and pulse and then your cheeses and pulse, plus a pinch of salt.  The cheeses will already be adding salt to the paste, so don't add too much. 

   Once the pesto has made a nice homogeneous paste, scoop small spoonfuls into ice cube trays or small containers in single servings.  Place in the freezer until completely hardened. 

   Remove frozen pesto from containers and place in freezer Ziploc bags.  

Your pesto is now ready for use with any pasta dish, or minestrone soup. Be creative and add it to sauces or marinades.

Artichoke, Olive and Sun-dried Tomato Quiche

Looks beautiful inside with the green and red color 

from the olives, basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

Hot out of the oven, puffed and browned perfectly!

A really easy vegetarian dish, but wonderfully delicious for 

breakfast, lunch or dinner, no matter if you are 

vegetarian or not.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Source: Dinner Pies by Ken Haedrich

1 recipe pie dough for a 9 1/2-10 inch tart pan

FILLING

2 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 cups drained and quartered canned artichoke hearts

1/2 cup pitted and coarsely chopped olives

1/2 cup chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups half-and-half

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

    Prepare pastry dough and refrigerate until ready for use.

    Roll out dough to a 13 inch circle. Fit the pastry into the tart pan, being careful not to stretch the 

dough as you work it into the edges.  Refrigerate the shell for 1 hour before prebaking.  I prefer to freeze the shell, so no pie weights are needed during the prebaking. (Pre-bake at 375 for 25 min.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

   Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and light golden, 12-15 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool briefly.

   Spread the onions evenly in the tart shell.  Scatter the artichoke hearts, olive, and sun-dried tomatoes over them. 

   Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the half-and-half and heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, flour, basil, 3/4 tsp. salt and ground black pepper to taste.  Carefully pour or ladle the custard into the shell.

   Bake the quiche on the center oven rack until golden brown and puffy, 35 to 45 minutes.  Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

Salted Butter Caramel-Chocolate Mousse

The perfect do ahead dessert!

This mousse needs to be refrigerated at least 8 hours

before serving.  The beauty in that, is that, it is the perfect

dessert for a dinner party that you can 

make the day before the party. 

Top with whipped cream and candied nuts or 

nut brittle as I have done here.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Source: My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz

INGREDIENTS

1. • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
   • 3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
   • 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
   • 6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
   • 4 large eggs, separated
   • Rounded 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, preferably fleur de sel

PREPARATION

1. 1. 1. Spread the sugar evenly over the bottom of a wide saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium heat. As it begins to liquefy at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to very gently drag the liquefied sugar toward the center. Watch carefully, as once the edges start to darken, the sugar is in danger of burning. Continue to cook, stirring very gently, until all the sugar is melted and begins to caramelize.
   2. 2. When the caramel is a deep amber color and starts to smoke, wait for a moment for it to smell just slightly burnt, then remove it from the heat and quickly whisk the butter, stirring until melted. Gradually whisk in the cream and stir until the little bits of caramel are completely melted. (A few can be stubborn, so be patient. You can strain the mixture if they simply refuse to budge.)
   3. 3. Once smooth, add the chocolate, stirring gently until it's melted and smooth. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Once it's no longer warm, whisk in the egg yolks.
   4. 4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold one-third of the whipped whites into the chocolate mixture, sprinkling in the flaky salt. Fold in the remaining beaten egg whites just until no streaks of white remain. Divide the mousse into 8 serving glasses, or transfer it to a decorative serving bowl, and chill for at least 8 hours.