Author: admin

Coffee Flan

Servings: 8-10
Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: 8 hrs
Cook Time: 1 1/4 hrs
Source: Gourmet, 2/06
Condensed milk is the secret ingredient that gives this popular Spanish dessert its silky texture.

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
3 3/4 cup whole milk
5 lg eggs
4 1/2 tsp instant-coffee granules dissolved in 4 tsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook sugar in a dry small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Immediately pour into a 9-inch round ceramic or glass baking dish or metal cake pan (2 inches deep) and tilt dish to coat bottom (use caution, dish will be hot). Cool until hardened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Blend remaining ingredients in a blender, in 2 batches if your blender is small, until smooth. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve over caramel in dish, then transfer dish to a rack inserted into a 17- by 11-inch roasting pan. Cover dish loosely with a piece of foil, place into oven, then pour enough boiling-hot water into roasting pan to reach 1 inch up side of dish. Bake until custard is set but still wobbly in center when gently shaken and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Transfer dish to a rack to cool completely, about 40 minutes. Chill flan, covered, until cold, at least 8 hours so that the caramel completely dissolves.

To unmold flan, run a thin knife around edge of dish to loosen flan. Invert a large platter with a lip over dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, quickly invert and turn out flan onto platter. Caramel will pour out over and around flan.

Flan can be chilled up to 1 day (before unmolding)

Dates with Goat Cheese Wrapped in Prosciutto

Servings: 8
Source: epicurious
These rich nibbles only taste decadent. Soft goat cheese is naturally lower in fat.

These rich nibbles only taste decadent. Soft goat cheese is naturally lower in fat.

Ingredients
1/3 cup soft herbed goat cheese
16 Medjool dates, pitted
16 large basil leaves
4 wide, thin slices prosciutto di Parma, each cut into 4 long strips
16 toothpicks, soaked in water 10 minutes

Directions
Heat broiler to low. Spoon 1 teaspoon cheese into each date; wrap with a basil leaf, then a prosciutto strip. Secure with a toothpick. Broil until cheese bubbles, about 3 minutes. Serve warm.

Dark Chocolate-Cherry Ganache Bars

Servings: 18 bars
Preheat: 325°
Cook Time: 35 min
Source: New York Times

Ingredients
150 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
90 grams confectioners’ sugar (about 3/4 cup)
26 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
52 grams cherry jam (about 2 Tbsp)
340 grams bittersweet chocolate, at least 62 percent, chopped (12 ounces)
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp kirsch, rum, brandy or other spirit
1/2 tsp fleur de sel, for sprinkling.

Directions
1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and fine sea salt. Pulse in the butter and vanilla until the mixture just comes together into a smooth mass. Press the dough into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Prick all over with a fork. Chill for at least 20 minutes and up to 3 days.

2. Heat the oven to 325°. Bake the shortbread until firm to the touch and just beginning to pull away from the sides, 35 to 40 minutes.

3. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes on a wire rack. Brush jam over shortbread’s surface and let cool thoroughly.

4. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the kirsch. Pour ganache evenly over shortbread. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and chill until firm. Slice and serve.

Yield: 18 bars.

Brussel Sprouts Salad

Servings: 6
Preheat: 400°
Prep Time: 45 min
Source: Gourmet | November 2002
Brussels sprouts and nuts can be roasted 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature. Reheat in a 400F oven until hot, about 5 minutes.

Ingredients
Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp white-wine vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup minced shallot
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 Tbsp olive oil

Salad
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 lb Brussels sprouts (preferably small), trimmed and halved lengthwise (quartered if large)
1/2 cup pecan halves, halved lengthwise
1 tsp salt
6 oz frisée, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces (4 cups)
3 Belgian endives (1 lb), cut crosswise into 1/2″” slices

Directions
Whisk together vinegar, water, mustard, shallot, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) in lower third of oven, about 3 minutes. Toss sprouts in pan with butter, pecans, and salt. Arrange sprouts, cut sides down, in 1 layer and roast in lower third of oven until undersides of sprouts are golden and nuts are fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes.

Whisk vinaigrette, then transfer warm sprouts and nuts to a large bowl and toss with frisée, endive, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Serve immediately.

Classic Vanilla Layer Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting and Raspberries

Servings: 12
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking April May 2005

Ingredients
Cake Layers
1/2 lb (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temp; more for the pan
All-purpose flour for the pan
12 oz (3 cups) cake flour
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp table salt
1-3/4 cup granulated sugar
Seeds scraped from 3/4 vanilla bean, or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
6 lg gg whites, at room temp

Frosting
1 pound mascarpone cheese, at room temp
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean, or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch table salt
2 pints raspberries, rinsed and patted dr

Directions
1
Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and lightly flour the sides of the pans, tapping out any excess.
2
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt onto a paper plate or into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand-held electric mixer) on medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Add 1-1/2 cups of the sugar and the vanilla bean seeds or extract. Continue beating until well combined and fluffy, 2 minutes. Stop to scrape the bowl as needed. On low speed, add the one-third of the dry ingredients at a time, alternating with 1/2 cup of the milk at a time, beginning and ending with the flour. After the last addition, scrape the bowl and mix for about 30 seconds to mix the batter fully.
3
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer (a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand-held) on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Continue beating until the whites form medium-firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, scoop up about one-quarter of the whites and stir them gently into the cake batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining whites until just blended.
4
Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until the tops are light brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Set the pans on a rack and let cool for about 15 minutes. Run a knife between the cake and the pan to loosen each cake. Invert the layers onto a rack, lift off the pans and peel away the parchment. Let cool completely.
5
Make the frosting: In a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone, cream, sugar, vanilla seeds or extract, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed until almost smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the mixture is thick and holds firm peaks, another 30 to 60 seconds. Don’t over beat or the frosting will look grainy.
6
Assemble the cake: Using your hands, gently brush away any excess crumbs from the layers. Set one cake layer, top side down, on a flat serving plate. To protect the plate from smears, slide small strips of foil or parchment under the bottom of the cake to cover the plate. Using a metal spatula or the back edge of a table knife, spread about 2 cups of the frosting evenly over the layer. Arrange about half the berries in a single layer on the frosting but leave a half-inch ring of space around the edge of the cake uncovered. Place the second cake layer, top side down, on top of the frosting. Be sure the sides are aligned and then press gently on the layer. Apply a very thin layer of frosting over the entire cake to seal in any stray crumbs. Chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, leaving lots of swirls and peaks on the top. Garnish the top with remaining berries. Carefully remove the foil or parchment strips from under the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 4 hours or up to two days. To keep the fruit looking fresh, cover the cake loosely with plastic after it has chilled for one hour.

Easy Poached Eggs Recipe

Servings: —
Fresh eggs will be easier to poach (they’ll hold together better) than older eggs. Vinegar is optional, it will help the eggs hold together, but if you don’t like the taste, omit.

Ingredients
Fresh eggs
1 to 2 tsp vinegar (rice vinegar works well) (optional)

Directions
1 First bring water in a saucepan to almost boiling. If the water is already boiling, lower the heat until it is no longer boiling. At this point, you can add one or two teaspoons of vinegar to the water, if you want. The vinegar will help the egg whites to congeal more easily. We use seasoned rice vinegar.

2 Working with the eggs one by one, crack an egg into a small cup, then place the cup near the surface of the hot water and gently drop the egg into the water. With a spoon, nudge the eggwhites closer to their yolks. This will help the egg whites hold together.

3 Turn off the heat. Cover. Let sit for 4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked.

4 Lift eggs out of pan with a slotted spoon.

One trick to make the eggs stay somewhat contained is to take a ring from a mason jar and place it in the pan. Drop the egg over the mason jar ring and let it settle in the ring, then turn off the heat and cover.

San Francisco Cioppino

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 1 1/4 hrs
Source: Food Network Kitchens
recipeNotes: Easy to double
served New Years Eve 2011

Ingredients
STEW BASE
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 red bell pepper, trimmed, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
3 cups fish stock or 1 cup bottled clam broth mixed with 2 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
1/4 cup julienned fresh basil leaves

SEAFOOD
12 little neck clams
1 cooked Dungeness crab, chopped into large pieces, or 2 Alaskan king crab claws, cracked and quartered
12 mussels
1 pound large shrimp, butterflied in the shell, and deveined
1/2 pound cleaned squid, cut into rings, and tentacles halved
1/2 pound sea scallops, trimmed, or firm fleshed fish, like halibut, cut into 1-inch cubes
Serving suggestion: hot crusty sourdough bread

Directions
Make the stew base. Heat a large stew pot or Dutch oven over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits in the pot. Simmer the wine until reduced by about half. Add the tomatoes, peppers, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes. Add the stock or broths; bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the base, with a cover slightly ajar, for 30 minutes. (The base may be prepared ahead up to this point, refrigerated for 1 day or frozen for 1 month).

Finish the Cioppino. Bring the base to a simmer. Add the basil and the clams, and cook covered, over high heat, for 5 minutes, or just until the clams open. Add the crab and cook for 1 minute. Add the mussels, shrimp, squid, and scallops. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mussels open, the shrimp curl, and squid and scallops are just firm, about 3 minutes. Serve in large heated bowls with plenty of crusty bread.