July 10, 2011

We met on July 10, 2011 at Carol's house. The theme was New Orleans/southern cooking.

Appetizer: Janet, Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

Bread and Wine: Carol, Corn Muffins
Salad: Mary, Coleslaw
Side: Lauren, Collard Greens
Main Dish: Angie, Red Beans and Rice
Dessert: Tonya, Praline Chocolate Cake

Janet made these delicious cheese-stuffed mushrooms from a Paula Deen recipe. If Paula Deen is not the epitome of southern cooking, then I do not know who is! The recipe calls for Paula's house seasoning which is simple to make. Janet modified the recipe by using feta seasoned with basil and only used half a cup of Parmesan cheese as topping. I could have popped a dozen of these in my belly but I restrained.

The below corn muffins, made by Carol first for us in September 2009, featured fresh corn kernels and a very thick batter. Coarse corn meal was sprinkled on top, before baking, and this resulted in a wonderful crunch. The muffins were very moist and made even more delicious with a pat of "bunny" butter.

Rather Rich Corn Muffins - Rebecca Rather - Rather Sweet Bakery - Fredericksburg, TX

Yield: About 2 dozen

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

3 cups heavy whipping cream

3 large eggs

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 coarse cornmeal plus extra to sprinkle over

1 cup sugar ( can use 1/2 of sugar if you don't want so sweet)

2 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

optional -- add 1 cup fresh corn kernels or 1 canned corn, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease 24 standard muffin cups or line them with muffin papers. Pour the butter, cream, and eggs into the large bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt on top. Mix at medium speed just until the ingredients are combined and not lumpy. Stir the corn into the batter. Using a medium sized scoop, fill the muffin cups abut 2/3 full with the batter. Sprinkle cornmeal over the tops of the muffins. Bake the muffins for 12 - 15 minutes, until lightly brown.

Muffins should spring back when you touch the top slightly with your fingertips. They are best served warm, and equally delicious toasted with butter.

Tips: This batter can be refrigerated in a covered container for 3 days and baked just before serving. Be sure to add 3 to 5 minutes to the baking to compensate for the temperature of the refrigerated muffin batter.

As always, Carol set a beautiful table with pinks, greens and zebra print! She arranged the flowers in the zebra coffee mugs herself.

For the salad, Mary made coleslaw featuring poppy seeds and it was the perfect compliment to the spicy main course.

When I was thinking of this menu I hoped that the side dish would be greens and Lauren read my mind and prepared collard greens! They were delicious and slightly sweet. The one pound of greens cooked down and we wish there had been more!


Collard Greens

Ingredients

· 6 slices bacon
· 1 large onion, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon pepper
· 3 cups chicken broth
· 1 pinch red pepper flakes
· 1 tablespoon brown sugar
· 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
· 1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into 2-inch pieces

Directions

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and crumble. Add onion to bacon grease, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Return bacon crumbles to pan. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.
2. Pour chicken broth in slow cooker, and season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and vinegar. Add collard green mixture. Set heat to low, cover, and cook for 2 hours, or until greens are tender.

The main dish for authentic Louisiana red beans and rice came from allrecipes.com. I read many recipes and this one had the best reviews and seemed rather simple. The changes I made included adding THE ham bone (from April) to the beans at the start of cooking, then cutting away the ham and adding it before discarding the bone. I also used about a pound and a half of beans and similarly adjusted the seasonings to about 1.5 times. I never added salt, just like the recipe states, and I did not think it was necessary. If this seems strange to you, be sure to not add any until after the sausage has cooked as it adds plenty of salt. Also, I think next time I will use a potato masher to mash some of the beans to give it a thicker consistency.

Tonya's Chocolate Praline Cake was heavenly and made from a "doctored" cake mix recipe. Instead of the whipped topping, as called for in the recipe, Tonya demonstrated the making of Italian Meringue Buttecream. It was fantastic and there was plenty of beater licking! There was a slight emergency when the icing started to loosen up but this was rectified by placing a warm, damp town on the bottom of the mixing bowl and changing paddles. If you wanted to color the icing, do this at the very end of preparation.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

A neighbor brought me a tray of these strawberries this weekend. I think there were about 8 on the tray. By the end of the day, all of these delicious Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries were in my belly. I could not stop eating them! The recipe above is the same idea, though I do not know if it is the exact one. The filing tasted like it could have been pre-made cheesecake filling in a tub and the graham cracker crumbs seemed like they might have had some butter and sugar mixed in. Delicious and so pretty!!

Pineapple Pie

My dad's favorite pie is Pineapple Pie. I found this recipe on allrecipes and it looked perfect for Father's Day. It was super easy to prepare, especially since I used store bought crusts, and it tasted delicious. I used the type of crust that comes in a pan for the bottom crust and the kind that come in the refrigerated section for the top crust. Sprinkling sugar on the top crust gives it a nice color.

Putting leftover phyllo to good use

I have plenty of leftover phyllo from our gathering on Sunday, and Carol suggested I make a dessert with phyllo and bananas. She forwarded me a recipe from Molly, the Dining Diva, and I gave it a try tonight (despite a serious case of 7-month pregnancy cankles).

Here is Molly's original recipe, but I think you can get away with any number of substitutions (see mine below):

Banana Phyllo Rolls (Molly's recipe)
Serves 6

15 Sheets Chocolate Phyllo (You can use the regular flavor)

1/2 cup butter

3 ripe bananas

3/4 cup grated white chocolate

3/4 cup toasted and ground macadamia nuts (chopped)

Prepare medium rolls using 5 layers of phyllo. Cut layered phyllo in half lengthwise. Cut ends from bananas and split them lengthwise. Place 1 banana half on each strip of layered phyllo. sprinkle 1 tablespoon each of chocolate and nuts over banana. Roll phyllo dough around banana.Brush with butter and place seam side down on cookie sheet. Bake banana in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with caramel cream sauce.

Caramel cream sauce:

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup melted semisweet chocolate

In top of a double boiler, over hot water, mix sugar and egg yolks. Heat until hot to touch,stirring frequently. remove from heat. Using electric mixer, whip at high speed until stiff and thick.In a small bowl. lightly whip heavy cream and fold into sugar mixture. Drizzle over phyllo rolls. Serve.

I just stuck with the general method of wrapping the bananas in phyllo. I placed half a banana on the phyllo, added some brown sugar cooked in butter, and sprinkled with some cinnamon and chopped pecans. After baking, I drizzled with some of my chocolate raspberry jam (heated), and added a scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, just for good measure. I still have some phyllo left, so I plan to try more substitutions.

June 12, 2011

We met at Tonya's house and all were in attendance except for Janet. Also, we were joined by guests Lauren and her mom, Lisa.

The menu:

Appetizer - Tomato Tart, Angie
Salad - Watermelon Salad, Lauren
Side - Couscous Salad, Mary
Bread - Assorted, Carol
Main Dish - Spinach and Chicken Phyllo Cups, Tonya
Dessert - Lemon Cake and Cookie Cups, Carol

Tonya set a beautiful table with jars of homemade jams and jellies at each setting. I left with a jar of the famous mayhaw jelly. Yum!

I made the tomato tart using fresh tomatoes from my garden. The only change to the recipe was I placed fresh basil leaves, also from my garden, under the tomatoes. I think it would be tasty, as well as pretty, to put some fresh basil on the top too, after baking. The recipe was very easy and I served it at room temperature.

Lauren, a friend of Tonya's, made a delicious, refreshing watermelon salad. It was wonderful and very summery. Hopefully, Lauren will become the newest member of the Gourmet Gals! And Lisa is welcome any time too!

Watermelon Salad

Salad:
4 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1/2 cup feta
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Dressing:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 pressed garlic cloves
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup olive oil

Mix together salad. Mix dressing and add as desired to each serving.

Mary made couscous salad and it was amazing! I have never tasted such a flavorful couscous before. The dates were the secret ingredient. I could also see using golden raisins or even dried cranberries.

Couscous Feta Salad

Ingredients:
Chicken broth (use amount indicated on couscous package)
2 boxes of couscous with pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Add honey to cut the sharpness of the vinegar.
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 (4 ounce) container crumbled feta cheese (used fat free feta)
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (shortcut is to use the couscous with pine nuts in it)
Dried dates. Adds a bit of sweetness and nice texture. I used about 1 heaping cup.

Directions:

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Remove from the heat, and stir in the couscous. Cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Scrape the couscous into a mixing bowl, fluff with a fork, and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Once the couscous is cold, make the dressing by whisking together the salt, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl (add some honey to cut the vinegar a bit). Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk until the oil has thickened the dressing. Fold the cucumber, feta cheese, green onions, parsley, and pine nuts (if needed) into the couscous. Pour the dressing over top, and stir until evenly moistened. Chill 30 minutes before serving.

For our main dish Tonya picked a Rachel Ray recipe for chicken and spinach in phyllo cups. The dish was put together quickly and tasted great. The phyllo cups make the presentation very fancy and would be great for a dinner party. If you had made the cups in mini muffin tins you could serve it as an appetizer.

Carol made two desserts. YUM. The cookie from the cookie fruit baskets was so crisp and sweet and the perfect way to enjoy ice cream and ripe berries.

Cookie Fruit Baskets

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup ground pecans

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Vanilla Ice Cream (or and fresh berries

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup; cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Stir in flour. Fold in pecans and vanilla.

Drop by tablespoons 3 inches apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 30-60 seconds; peel cookies off paper. Immediately drape over inverted custard cups; cool completely. Scoop ice cream into baskets; top with berries.

The second dessert, lemon cake with berry compote, berry paper and buttermilk thyme sherbet was light and refreshing.

Lemon Cake with Berry Compote, Berry Paper and Buttermilk Thyme Sherbet

Serves 8

Lemon Cake:

6 eggs, separated

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

In bowl, whip egg whites and half of the sugar to stiff peaks for meringue. In separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Gently fold into mixture.

Spritz 8 4-ounce ramekins with cooking spray and fill each to 2/3 full with mixture. Place ramekins in 9-inch by 13-inch pan. Add water about 1/3 way up to create a water bath. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven.

(Carol did state that her batter made many more than 8. Twelve or 14, I think.)

Huckleberry Compote:

16 ounces Sauvignon Blanc

3/4 cups sugar

2 cups huckleberries (Carol used blackberries)

zest of 2 lemons

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 in fresh ginger, peeled and grated with microplane

Combine ingredients in large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until liquid reduces and thickens to sauce. Set aside to cool.

Huckleberry Coulis:

Puree half of the huckleberry compote. Strain through cheesecloth. Set aside.

Huckleberry Paper:

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Spread huckleberry coulis thinly on nonstick cookie sheet liner such as Silpate and dry in oven 45-60 minutes, testing frequently. Remove from oven and quickly pull off large pieces, forming them by hand into free-form cup shape with point at bottom. Set aside as garnish. (This is similar to fruit roll-ups.)

For Thyme Simple Syrup:

4 cups granulated sugar

1 quart water

1/2 bunch thyme

zest of 2 lemons

Combine ingredient in large saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Cool and strain through fine-mesh strainer.

Buttermilk Thyme Sherbet:

1 quart organic buttermilk

1 cup thyme simple syrup

pinch salt

Mix, then prepare in ice cream maker

To Serve:

Place lemon cake in center of each plate and dot plate with huckleberry compote, a few thyme leaves and bits of ginger. With large soup spoon, form sherbet into egg shape and place on top of cake. Garnish with molded huckleberry paper.

Below are pictures of future baby Vivian's nursery. It is decorated in lavenders, white and black. Very beautiful and chic! Except for the scary "peek-a-boo" bear!

Chocolate Chip and Banana Muffins

I found this recipe for Chocolate Chip and Banana Muffins in Food and Wine magazine. Teresa had gifted me with the magazine as part of her packing for her move to Florida.

Instead of muffins, I made loaves (two). Also, I did not have six bananas, but only three, so I added about two cups of shredded zucchini (one VERY large from a friend's garden or two to three normal size). You cannot taste the zucchini and it adds great moisture and of course, nutrition!

The mini chocolate chips are awesome and really dominate the flavor. I am thinking mini chocolate chips should be added to every dessert. HA!

Beef Stroganoff and a pie

My friend at work said she was going to make beef stroganoff in her slow cooker this weekend and it sounded so good that I had to make it also! I found this simple recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff and it is delicious! The only change I made was to add fresh mushrooms at the beginning. I made a bag of egg noodles (a little too many.. half a bag would have been enough) and mixed those in right before serving. I think next time I will just put it on top of the noodles rather than mixing together.

I also made a pie this weekend (that picture is not.my.pie), which used the other half of the cream cheese from the beef stroganoff. This Layered Lemon pie was pretty good but I do not think I will make it again. And if I did, I would use 1 package of lemon and 1 package of vanilla pudding as the lemon is too intense. The strawberry jam is a nice touch. My mom suggested that it be frozen and that would have been even more refreshing.