Why do I mention these now?
Because we've been baked eggs crazy lately! I've found the best combo to be ham, cheese, and eggplant caponata. Also, it's easier and less wasteful to use ramekins instead of the baking cups the previously recommended recipe calls for.
Here's what I said back on 2/13/06:
Delicious with a pretty presentation – just keep your eye on the cook time – don't let the egg set too long.
From Allrecipes.com
This Golden Oyster Bisque owes its lovely hue to the world's most expensive spice, saffron – but no worries, only a few strands of the stuff are called for in any recipe, so a small vial will last you for a while.
Oysters have a long-standing reputation as an aphrodisiac due to “rare amino acids that trigger increased levels of sex hormones” and their “soft, moist texture.” Despite the rich flavor of the broth (which is a lot like a clam chowder), this is none?oo fattening (it calls for skim milk and very little butter), making it perfect for a Valentine's Day dinner because it'll keep you from feeling like a fatty before love making.
I usually drink whiskey rather than cook with it and I rarely treat the unsung scallion as a main player in my dishes, but this Stir Fried Shrimp with Scallions threw both these conventions out the window.
I found the recipe, which is a snap to make on Fresh Direct, but it comes to them through Molly O'Neill, a food writer for the New York Times and a sometimes TV host. In this article she is described thus:
“Her passion for food for its own sake seems not to have taken hold until she reached college, where she discovered woks, feminism and marijuana, in no particular order.”
I loves me my beets and tarragon, and this Steak with Root Vegetables recipe is chock full of them, as well as carrots, parsnips, and the intriguing Fresh Direct offering of a black radish.
I bought a hand julienne peeler for this because you have to cut your veggies small so they cook fast and doing by hand is no joke.
As mentioned, I'm no pastry fanatic. Moreover, I strongly dislike nuts.?But it is wonderful to be convinced to change your opinion of something. I made this pie last thanksgiving, considering only the tastes of others, to unequivocal success. And I am ashamed to admit, if I'd no self-control I could eat an entire one.
The following is the recipe I roughly followed. You may choose to make your own crust, or use a pre-made, either will be delectable.
Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
Filling:
6 large eggs
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup bourbon (such as Maker's Mark)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 cups (about 16 ounces) pecan halves, toasted, very coarsely chopped
For crust:
Blend both flours, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add lemon juice, then 6 tablespoons ice water; process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Divide dough in half. Gather each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap separately in plastic. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 13 1/2- to 14-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang. Turn overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Repeat with second dough disk. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
For filling:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350?F. Whisk eggs in large bowl. Whisk in both sugars, then next 5 ingredients. Stir in pecans. Divide filling between prepared crusts.
Bake pies until filling is puffed and just set in center (filling may begin to crack), about 55 minutes. Cool pies completely on rack. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with foil; store at room temperature.
This Asparagus Goat Cheese Pasta recipe has very few ingredients – but they come together nicely in this belly warming pasta dish filled with lots of greens. Definitely one for those fans of asparagus, which has lots of vitamin B – necessary to boost your immune system during these days of colds and sickness.
The cook time is quick – especially if you too are madly in love with Fresh Direct's two minute microwavable pasta, so this is ideal for a quick, creamy and filling meal when you're run down from a day of work and don't want to slave in the kitchen.
Even Jim was a huge fan and he rarely eats any greens.
I have always wanted to find a Chinese recipe that is easy to make at home to substitute the often stomach pain inducing greasiness and heaviness of delivery or restaurant food. Of course, to be fair, not all Chinese restaurants are terrible, but I find the better quality ones are usually pricier and they're nowhere near where I live.
So I find myself sometimes in a pickle. I'll crave Chinese food, but know full well that if I act upon that craving it will end in misery. But, now with this Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork recipe, I can just make it myself. While I can't claim it's authentic, it is delicious – one of the best meals hands down I've made in a while. It's full of flavor, though not as spicy as you might expect for it being “szechuan” and less than 300 calories per serving.
I rarely make the same thing twice around here, but this is going to become a simple, quick, excellent regular in our house.
Swordfish is such a great replacement for steak with it's meatiness if you're looking for a healthier, lighter option. This Swordfish Mexicana recipe transport you with its tropical flavors, so long as you can still find an avocado out of season (which you still can, but hurry!).
Serve with some rice and a splash of Ponzu sauce.
My co worker Sarafina is quite the baker and sitting daily next to a serious master of the art means that I often get to sample her goods. This holiday season, a gift baggie of various cookies offered lots to rave about, but the two (I had to pick at least two, it was too hard to pick just one) that stand out the most are the brown butter brown sugar shorties which can be found on Smitten Kitchen and the moistest ginger snaps in the world. Recipe follows:
from Nick Malgieri's Cookies Unlimited
The Good Cook's Gingersnaps
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup or more for finishing
1 large egg room temp.
1/4 cup molasses
cookie sheets covered in parchment paper
– Set racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
-Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a bowl; stir well to mix
-In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together on medium speed the butter and 1 cup of sugar for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy and whitened. Add egg and continue beating until smooth.
– Lower the speed and beat in half the dry ingredients, then the molasses. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients.
– Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to finish mixing the bowl.
– Place the extra sugar in bowl, roll 1 inch diameter balls out of the dough and roll them in the sugar. Place the balls on the prepared pans leaving about 3 inches all round each to allow for spreading.
– Bake the cookies for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they have spread, colored, the surface has crackled and they are firm to the touch. Slide the papers from the pans to cooling racks. The cookies become crisp as they cool.
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Isn't strange that skinnies can sometimes be the best cooks? Take my sister, who to my delight, cooked all the Thanksgiving goodies this year. (I stuck to getting lots of fancy cheeses and making Old Fashioneds). I cook often (as you can tell by the archives of my recipe picks) but she has the gift that I simply don't – to be able to make amazing food without a recipe.
These Maple Jewel Yams, which were my absolute favorite of the day, are her own creation and they tasted perfect. Here's how she did it:
“I just sliced them, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and roasted until they were starting to brown….I think around 20 minutes.?
Then I poured maple syrup over and tossed.?
Put back in oven and roast until starts to caramelize.?Then I sprinkled with little pieces of butter and popped back in the oven for a few more….
I think this is about right.?I was thinking after a little chili or cayenne would have been nice over as well…”