Nectarine and Blue Cheese Salad

October 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Nectarine and Blue Cheese Salad

Recipe Type: Appetizer
Ingredients
  • 2 black plums, halved, pitted, chopped
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 teaspoons ume plum vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 12 cups (lightly packed) mixed greens (such as arugula and frisée)
  • 4 nectarines or peaches, halved, pitted, cut into eighths
  • 8 ounces firm blue cheese, such as Cabrales, sliced
  • 1/2 cup almonds, preferably Marcona
Instructions
  1. Bring plums and 3/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring occasionally and mashing plums with the back of a spoon, until plums have completely broken down, about 15 minutes.
  2. Pour plum mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much purée as possible; discard solids in sieve. Let purée cool.
  3. Add oil, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water to purée; whisk to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
  4. Divide greens among plates. Scatter nectarines, cheese, and almonds over, dividing equally, and drizzle some of dressing over. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe and Photo source: Bon Apetit, August 2012

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes

Pecan, Bourbon and Butterscotch Bread Pudding

October 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Pecan, Bourbon and Butterscotch Bread Pudding

Recipe Type: Dessert
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • Butterscotch Sauce:
  • 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
  • Pudding:
  • 1 pound day-old rustic white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2″ cubes (12 cups)
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 4 cups heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 2 cups pecan pieces
Instructions
  1. For butterscotch sauce:
  2. Bring brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Boil until mixture is syrupy and measures 1 1/3 cups, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; add cream and bourbon, if desired, and stir until smooth. Let cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool completely, cover, and chill. Rewarm before serving.
  3. For pudding:
  4. Toss bread, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in another large bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cream, poppy seeds, and salt; beat to blend. Place bourbon in a small bowl; scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve bean for another use). Whisk to distribute seeds, then add to egg mixture, whisking to blend well. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture in bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat well. Transfer mixture to a 13x9x2″ glass or ceramic baking dish, spreading out in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
  5. Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake until top is browned in spots and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. Serve bread pudding with butterscotch sauce.

Recipe and photo source

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Replica Recipe

October 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Replica Recipe

Recipe Type: Appetizer
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
  • 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
  • 1/2 cup frozen cut Italian cut green beans
  • 1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (Swanson is good *note ( Do not use chicken broth!*)
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained
  • 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup carrot (julienned or shredded)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 cups hot water
  • 4 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup small shell pasta
Instructions
  1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
  2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
  3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
  4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
  6. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

 Recipe and photo source

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes, Restaurant Replica Recipes

P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef Replica Recipe

October 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef Replica Recipe

Recipe Type: Entree
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
  • 1 lb flank steak
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 large green onions, sliced on the diagonal into one-inch lengths
Instructions
  1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.
  2. Don’t get the oil too hot.
  3. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
  4. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
  5. Remove it from the heat.
  6. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4″ thick bite-size slices (Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts).
  7. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.
  8. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
  9. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).
  10. Heat the oil over medium heat until it’s nice and hot, but not smoking.
  11. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.
  12. You don’t need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.
  13. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.
  14. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.
  15. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.
  16. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.
  17. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.
  18. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.

Recipe and Photo Source

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes, Restaurant Replica Recipes

Olive Crostini

October 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Olive Crostini

Recipe Type: Appetizer
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup black olives
  • 1/2 cup green olives with pimientos
  • 2 medium cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 baguette
Instructions
  1. Chop olives in a food processor. Transfer to medium bowl. With machine running, drop garlic through the feed tube of the food processor and mince. Add Parmesan, butter, and olive oil, and process into a paste. Add butter mixture to bowl with olives. Fold in jack cheese and parsley. Cut baguette into thin slices and spread each slice generously with olive mixture. Cook under broiler until bubbly and lightly browned – about 2 minutes.

 Recipe and photo source

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes

Potato, Spinach & Sausage Casserole

October 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Potato, Spinach & Sausage Casserole

Recipe Type: Entree
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the baking dish
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil
  • 8 oz fresh spinach, washed, dried, and stemmed
  • 1/2 lb of Italian sausage (we like 1/2 sweet and 1/2 hot Italian sausage), broken out of casing into small pieces
  • 1 large red onion (about 3/4 lb), peeled and sliced thin
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3 medium sized potatoes), peeled and cut into 1-inch chuncks
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
  • Dash of nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup of shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 6×9 or 8×8 inch baking dish.
  2. Heat one of the teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to strainer and drain. When cool, squeeze out liquid and roughly chop the spinach.
  3. Wipe skillet clean. Add sausage to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Use slotted spoon to transfer sausage to bowl. Wipe skillet clean. Heat remaining oil in skillet and add onions, cooking until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape mixture into bowl with sausage.
  4. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring potatoes to boil over high heat, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, wipe pot dry, put potatoes back into the pot, and mash with butter, cream, vinegar, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in spinach and 1/2 cup of the cheese.
  5. Transfer potato-spinach mixture to prepared baking dish. Top with sausage-onion mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake until potatoes are very hot and cheese is golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe and photo source

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes

Prosciutto and Gruyere Pastry Pinwheels

October 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Prosciutto and Gruyere Pinwheels

Recipe Type: Appetizer
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 30
Ingredients
  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
  • 4 ounces thinly-sliced prosciutto
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or sage leaves
  • 3/4 cup (packed) finely-grated Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)*
  • 1 egg, beaten to blend
Instructions
  1. Place puff pastry sheet on work surface. Cut in half, forming two 9 1/2×4 3/4-inch rectangles.
  2. Arrange half of prosciutto on one (1) rectangle, leaving 1/2-inch border along one side. Sprinkle prosciutto with 1/2 of the fresh basil or sage, then top with 1/2 of Gruyere cheese. Brush plain border with egg glaze. Starting at long side opposite border, roll up pastry jelly-roll style, pressing gently to seal long edges. Wrap in plastic paper.
  3. Repeat with remaining pastry, prosciutto, basil or sage, cheese, and egg to form second log.
  4. Refrigerate pastry logs, seam sides down, until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
  5. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Arrange rounds on prepared sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Bake one sheet at a time until pastries are golden brown, about 16 minutes. Remove from oven using a metal spatula, transfer pastries to racks, and cool slightly. Serve warm.
  7. Makes approximately 30 pinwheels.

 Recipe and photo source

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes

Chocolate Bread Pudding

October 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Chocolate Bread Pudding

Recipe Type: Dessert
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for baking dish
  • 8 slices (8 ounces) cinnamon-raisin bread
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 ounces semisweet chocolate
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 11-by-7-inch (or 9-inch square) baking dish; set aside. Toast bread (in the oven or toaster) until lightly crisped.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, chocolate, and butter; place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
  3. Tear bread into large pieces (about 4 or 5 per slice); scatter evenly in prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in warm milk mixture until combined. Pour over bread.
  4. Bake until pudding has puffed and is firm, about 25 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes, and dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

Recipe and photo source

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

October 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Recipe Type: Entree
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 pound penne rigate
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups whole milk
  • 10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
  • 1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.
  3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
  4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.
  5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe and Photo Source

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes

Aunt Annie’s Soft Pretzel Replica Recipe

October 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Aunt Annie’s Soft Pretzel Replica Recipe

Recipe Type: Side Dish
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 3 cups regular flour
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • to taste coarse salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter (melted)
Instructions
  1. et rise at least 1/2 hour.
  2. While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope* (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in 450 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and enjoy!
  3. Toppings: after you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt. Or for Auntie Anne’s famous Cinnamon Sugar, try melting a stick of butter in a shallow bowl (big enough to fit the entire pretzel) and in another shallow bowl make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Dip the pretzel into the butter, coating both sides generously. Then dip again into the cinnamon mixture. Enjoy!
  4. * The longer and thinner you can make the dough rope, the more like Auntie Anne’s they will be.
  5. *Sweet butter, not regular butter, is one of her secrets!

Recipe and photo source

Filed Under: Recipes, Restaurant Replica Recipes, Sides
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