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FRENCH TOAST March 25, 2010 The secret to the fact that this recipe is so good is......soaking the thick slices of bread overnight.
And the orange juice in the mixture lends an interesting touch- or kind of a mysterious one at that!
FRENCH TOAST
Serves 4-6
4 large eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla exctartct
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 loaf Italian bread, cut into about 10" slices
Unsalted butter
for frying
Topping:(all optional- all great!)
Confectioner's sugar
Maple syrup
Finely chopped pecans
Whisk together the eggs, orange juice, milk, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg. Place the bread slices snugly together
in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices, turning them to make sure they
are well-coated. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high
heat. Add butter. When the butter stops bubbling, quickly add the bread slices. Don't crowd them in the
pan. Cook until golden and flip the slices, cooking the second side. Remove to a warm plate and sprinkle with confectionary
sugar and toasted pecans. Serve with maple syrup.
7:34 pm edt
CHOCOLATE TURTLE TART March 24, 2010 I've never met a chocolate dessert I didn't like. Here's a recipe that is not only chocolate-y,
but is also caramel-y,,,one of my favorite combos. And since it was National Pecan Day the other
day, I figured I'd do my part here to celebrate,,, This has a great pecan crust.
CHOCOLATE TURTLE TART
Crust:
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped (Have more on hand for garnish)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Caramel:
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
Juice from
1 lemon
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Ganache:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust, mix all the ingredients and press into the bottom
and sides of a 9" tart pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until the nuts are toasted. Remove from oven and cool.
For the caramel, in a heavy saucepan over high heat, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add
lemon juice. Do not stir as this may cause lumping. Cook until the sugar carmelizes to a dark
golden brown. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, heat cream
until very hot, but not boiling. Slowly pour the 1/4 cup cream, then the vanilla into the caramel.
Whisk to blend. Pour the caramel into the tart crust and cool completely to room temperature.
Place in the refrigerator to set.
When the caramel custard is set, to make the ganache, place the chocolate
in a bowl. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a boil and immediately pour over the chocolate,
Stir gently until the chocolate melts. Pour the ganache over the custard layer in the tart and refrigerate
to firm. When well-chilled, garnish with pecan halves, if desired, before serving.
Reeeaaaallly good!
7:20 pm edt
MACADAMIA CHICKEN WINGS March 23, 2010 The macadamia nuts make these chicken wings just a TAD fancy.....so if fancy chicken wings interest
you....you should try this recipe. You can still eat the wings with your fingers, but you'll need lots of
napkins. (they don't have to be linen napkins,,,,,in fact,,,better not!)
MACADAMIA CHICKEN WINGS
Makes 40 pieces
4 lbs chicken wings
2 cups orange marmalade
1 cup
macadamia nuts, chopped
2 Tbs soy sauce
Cut each wing in half at the joint. Place pieces on a foil-lined,
greased shallow baking pan. Bake the wings in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Combine marmalade, nuts,
and soy sauce in a saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until marmalade melts, about 2 minutes. Brush macadamia
mixture over chicken. Continue to bake until chicken is cooked through, at least 20 minutes or more,
brushing with mxture and turning occasionally.
9:50 pm edt
VEGGIE TARTS March 22, 2010 A wonderful appetizer, and worth investing in a muffin tin with small size cups! I didn't own
one- just had one with larger size cups. But I had tried these tarta at a friend's house, and
promptly went out and bought a new muffin tin!
VEGGIE TARTS
In 2 Tbs of butter, saute 2 cups of broccoli florets, 1 cup chopped green peppers, and
1 cup chopped onion until barely tender. Add basil, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in 1/4-1/2 cup sour
cream and 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Set aside. Unroll 1 pkg. of Pillsbury Crescent rolls and roll thin with a
rolling pin. Cut 24 rounds with a cookie cutter 1 3/4 " in diameter-- small enough to fit into a small size muffin
tin. Fit pastry rounds into muffin tin and fill each with vegetable mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for
10-12 minutes.
6:53 pm edt
CHICKEN SOUSE with JOHNNY CAKE March 19, 2010This recipe was sent to me by a listener, Carmel Turnquest, in the Bahamas! Exuma, the Bahamas. She
wrote that this was a Bahamian recipe for a delicious Saturday morning breakfast!
Sure beats Rice Krispies, and even
bacon and eggs! Trouble is, I think if I had this breakfast, I wouldn't want to do anything for the rest of the day,
except relax and feel full and happy. (well, I guess there's nothing wrong with that,,, on the weekends, anyway. )
Thanks, Carmel, for sending in the recipe!
CHICKEN SOUSE
1 pkg of chicken wings cut in parts, or a whole chicken cut into small pieces
3 Tbs lime
juice
1 tsp vegetable oil or butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion, diced
6 large potatoes, diced
3 carrots, diced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbs ground allspice
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup lime
juice
2-3 cups of water
Toss the chicken with the 3 Tbs ofl ime juice and season
with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate. Heat the oil in a large pot, add onion, potates, carrots, allspice,
bay leaves, marinated chicken, 3/4 cup lime juice, and water. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer until
chicken is no longer pink and the veggies are tender. Season to taste and serve with Johnny Cake.
While
the chicken is cooking,,,,bake this recipe:
JOHNNY CAKE:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs
baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
Mix flour, sugar,
baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the shortening until mixture looks fine and can be crumbled.
Add milk while stirring with fork to make a soft dough. Roll into a ball and knead dough several times until smooth.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out into a 9" circle or square pan. Bake in 425 degrees oven
for 15-20 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Slice and serve warm with butter and chicken souse.
Can be a delicious breakfast- or enjoyed anytime!
12:34 pm edt
MONKFISH with Sweet Potato-Hazelnut Crust March 18, 2010 This recipe is unreal! Monkfish is usually easy to find, and it has such a sweet and mild flavor,,,,,always
makes a nice choice for a fish dish. It works perfectly with this unusual recipe.
Serves
2
2 6 oz monkfish fillets
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 large egg
3 Tbs ground hazelnuts
Flour for dredging
1/2 cup sweet potato, peeled and grated
3 Tbs olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees. Season the monkfish with salt and pepper. In a bowl, whisk the egg, then mix in the ground hazelnuts.
Dredge the fish in flour, then in the egg, and hazelnut mixture. Roll the fish in the grated sweet
potatoes. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Brown the fish on both sides, about 2 minutes
per side. Remove, place in a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Hope you try this!
9:23 pm edt
RASPBERRY MUFFINS March 17, 2010How could I resist muffins with my favorite fruit in them?? You could substitute rhubarb for the raspberries in this
recipe, they say, but.....not me,,,,I'll stick with the raspberries. Hope you try these!
RASPBERRY MUFFINS
Makes 12 muffins
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup
vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup raspberries (or diced rhubarb)
2 1/2 cups flour
1
tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup
chopped nuts(whatever kind you prefer)
1 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter 12 muffins cups. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, egg, and
vanilla. Add the raspberries. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt,
Add the flour mixture to the raspberry mixture and stir till blended. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with the batter.
To make the topping: In a bowl, combine the granulated sugar, nuts, butter, and
cinnamon. Sprinkle over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
9:13 pm edt
TOMATO BISQUE March 16, 2010 With the string of rainy, stormy days we've been having, and Spring
seemingly still so far off, the thought of talking about a hot and flavorful soup today just
sounded like it would hit the spot. I bet you'd like this.....
SUN-DRIED TOMATO BISQUE
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 lb sun-dried tomatoes
1 large red onion, diced
3
cloves garlic, minced
3 cups red wine
3 lbs ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 cups water
1 quart tomato juice
Chopped fresh basil to taste
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 cups heavy
cream
Serves 4-5
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and saute the sun-dried
tomatoes, onions, and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Do not brown. Reduce heat to
medium, and add the red wine . Reduce the volume by half, about 20-25 minutes. Add the fresh tomatoes and
water, and stir. Add the tomato juice and season with basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil stirring
occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a blender
or food processor and puree. Return the pureed liquid to the saucepan, add the heavy cream and stir
to blend. Warm the bisque and serve.
CHOCOLATE LADYFINGER TORTE March 15, 2010 This is an elegant dessert- and it just happens to taste delicious too. Hope you try it!
CHOCOLATE LADYFINGER TORTE
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup cold water
8 eggs -- whites and yolks
beaten separately
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp
almond flavoring
2 dozen broken almond macaroons
Ladyfingers (unfilled(about 2-3 pkgs)
Put chocolate
in top of double boiler to melt. Add water and beaten egg yolks to which you have added 1/2 cup sugar. Cook until very
thick, sitrring constantly. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites to which you have added the other 1/2 cup sugar. Set in
pan of cool water until chilled. Cream the butter. Gradually add powdered sugar, nuts, almond flavorting, and
macaroos. Combine the 2 mixtures, Use a springform mold pan.
Split the ladyfingers. Line edge of mold
with ladyfingers, stand them up on bottom. Pour mixture over this. Place in refrigerator overnight. Serve with
whipped cream. Serves 18-20.
4:22 pm edt
ORANGE-GLAZED SQUARES March 12, 2010 These are great dessert squares-- the orange glaze makes them just a litte bit different
and just a little bit special. It's funny- people perk up when they first taste them-- as if the orange
is a kind of surprise!
ORANGE0-GLAZED SQUARES
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 6 oz pkg chocolate morsels(I use
Nestle's)
Glaze:
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
2 Tbs orange juice
1/2 tsp shredded orange rind
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Blend the sugar,
shortening, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs. Stir in flour mixture alternately with milk. Fold in the package
of chocolate morsels. Pour into greased 15"x10"x 1" pan. Bake at 350
for 40-45 minutes. While
hot, spread with Orange Glaze. Let stand 24 hours. Cut into squares.
Yield: 24 2 1/2" squares
Orange Glaze:
Combine the confectioner's sugar, orange juice, and orange rind. Stir until smooth.
Try 'em!
2:08 pm est
CHEESE SNACKS March 11. 2010 I feel guilty sometimes when I give you unhealthy recipes! ...sometimes..... But this is a
fun snack. And you can be good.....tomorrow.
CHEESE SNACKS
Yield: about 4 1/2 dozen
8 oz. grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 lb butter
1/3 cup sifted
flour
3 cups Kellogg's Special K cereal
Beat together the cheese and butter until thoroughly combined.
Mix in flour and Special K.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325 degree oven for
about 20 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Serve hot.
May be made in advance and warmed up.
Doesn't get much easier than that!
1:53 pm est
ALMOND MERINGUES March 10, 2010 These are easy to make(and you know how much I love 'easy'!) - and they are great-tasting little
cookies. Got this recipe out of a Canadian cookbook.
ALMOND MERINGUES
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
6 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 lb almonds
1 tsp almond extract
Beat egg whites stiff. Add sugar and beat very well. Add whole slmonds and almond extract, Drop
by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 275 degrees. Turn heat off and let cookies
remain in oven till cool. ( I don't like to do this!- but that is what the original recipe says to do!)
Serve
with an interesting-flavored ice cream!
8:36 am est
SWORDFISH STEAKS March 9, 2010 I love swordfish, but also am aware of how dense a fish it is, and thus can easily not retain its moistness(is
that a word??) This recipe is good-tasting, but I usually end up having to add a little butter as I
am cooking this. Be sure you serve it immediately when it is done- that will also help with the MOISTNESS FACTOR....
SWORDFISH STEAKS (or cutlets)
4 swordfish steaks
2 eggs
2 lemons
2/3 cup flour
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, chopped
Parsley, minced- about a Tbs or less
Salt, pepper
Beat the eggs. Take 2 plates- on one, mix the breadcrumbs with the chopped garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. On
the other, put the flour. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Dip each fish steak in the flour, then into the
egg and finally coat wth breadcrumbs. Fry carefully
in hot oil. Arrange the steaks on a serving dish and
garnish wth lemon wedges and parsley sprigs.
I like to serve this with browned cubed potatoes. ( as
long as I'm standing over a hot stove, might as well have two pans going.......)
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE March 8, 2010 This recipe was sent to me by a listener in Exuma, the Bahamas- Jean Lewless, I'll never forget how excited
I was to receive her first email-- a request for a song. Since then, she has written me wonderful messages
and now she has sent this wonderful-sounding recipe! I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to. It sounds scrumptious!
Thanks, Jean- for the recipe and for continuing to be loyal to the station- and for telling your friends to listen
too, there in Exuma! Keep in touch!
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
3 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar(Jean used 1 1 //2 cups brown sugar)
1/2 tsp
salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1 1 /4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, well-drained
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 cups chopped firm ripe bananas
1 cup grated coconut
Cream Cheese Frosting:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, room
temperature
2 Tbs confectioner's sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 -1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350.
Sift all dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl several times. Add eggs and oil to the dry ingredients. Stir with
a wooden spoon until ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, and 1 cup pecans. Stir in bananas
and coconut. Spoon batter into three well-greased and floured 9"pans. Bake 23-30 minutes or until a wooden
toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn onto a cooling rack,
Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
Combine cream cheese and butter, Cream until smooth,
Add powdered sugar, beating in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla. Frost the top of all
3 layer; stack, and then frost sides. Sprinkle top with 1 /2 to 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts.
Sounds yummy,
Jean!
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