Thursday, April 30, 2009

Chicken Satay

We made this tonight on the grill and it was delicious!

6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 pack chicken tenders (or breasts....I just love the tenders)


In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and refrigerate. Let the chicken marinate at least 2 hours (or 1.5 hours on the counter:) .

Preheat a grill to high heat.

Grill chicken for 5 minutes per side, until done.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Chocolate Almond Cake with Raspberry Sauce

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted

8 oz. almond paste (not marzipan - that has sugar added)

¼ c. butter

2/3 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp. brandy

1/3 c. flour

½ tsp. baking powder


Cream together almond paste, butter, and sugar. Add cooled chocolate, eggs, and brandy. Stir in flour and baking powder just till mixed. Spread batter in an 8-inch round cake pan that has been lined with 2 sheets of parchment paper. (Do not grease the pan.) Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out fairly clean. Cool completely. Cut around the cake with a knife and turn onto serving plate. Serve with raspberry sauce, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint if desired.


Raspberry Sauce: Blend together a thawed 12-ounce bag of frozen raspberries (no sugar added) and 2 tablespoons sugar. Push mixture through a sieve with a rubber scraper to remove most of the seeds. If you have fresh berries, use 2 cups berries and 2 Tbsp. sugar.


-Terri Narr

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Key Lime Sorbet

If you love tart... you will love this!


Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup key lime preserves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
4 cups lime flavored club soda or seltzer
Kosher salt


Directions
Combine sugar, preserves and 1 cup of the soda in a medium saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar and preserves are melted. Add citrus juice and zest. Stir in the remaining soda, move to a clean, lidded container and chill thoroughly, 2 to 3 hours.

Turn mixture in ice cream maker per maker's instructions or until mixture reaches the consistency of a firm slush. Return mixture to lidded container and harden in freezer 1 hour before serving.

If sorbet is to be held frozen for longer than 2 hours, move from freezer to refrigerator for about half an hour before serving. If you'd like a more assertive sorbet, double the amount of citrus zest.

Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Berries

Jared's Favorite

For meringue:
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 large egg whites at room temperature 30 minutes
3 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

For filling:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 fresh lemon juice
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups mixed berries

Make meringue:

Preheat oven to 300°F with rack in middle. Trace an approximately 7-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper. Turn parchment over and put on a baking sheet.
Whisk together superfine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Beat whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Add water (whites will loosen) and beat until whites again hold soft peaks.
Increase speed to medium-high and beat in sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After all sugar has been added, beat 1 minute more.
Add vinegar and beat at high speed until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes (longer if using hand-held mixer).
Gently spread meringue inside circle on parchment, making edge of meringue slightly higher than center (the "crater" is for curd and fruit). Bake until meringue is pale golden and has a crust, about 45 minutes (inside will still be marshmallow-like).
Turn oven off and prop door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Cool meringue in oven 1 hour.


Make Lemon curd while meringue bakes:

Stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2-qt heavy saucepan, then add lemon juice and butter. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking, then continue to simmer, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Lightly beat yolks in a small bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup lemon mixture, then whisk into remaining lemon mixture in saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until curd is thickened, about 2 minutes (do not let boil). Transfer to a bowl and stir in zest. Chill, surface covered with parchment, until cool, about 1 1/2 hours.


Assemble Pavlova:

Beat heavy cream until it just holds stiff peaks, then fold 1/4 cup beaten cream into curd to lighten. Spoon lemon curd into meringue and mound berries on top. Serve remaining whipped cream on the side.

World's Best Potatoes au Gratin

This was my very favorite dish this Easter.. I will make it often now!

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup shredded Gruyere
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish or similar sized casserole dish.
Arrange the sliced potatoes in the prepared dish. In a medium saucepan, saute the minced garlic in butter over medium heat until softened and fragrant. Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the cream until smooth and thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes in the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until browned.

Tangerine-Glazed Easter Ham with Baby Carrots

Ingredients
1 (8 to 10-pound) smoked ham, bone-in, skin on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
2 tangerines, sliced thin, seeds removed
2 cups tangerine juice
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
11/2 pounds carrots, peeled


Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Put the ham in a large roasting pan, fat-side up. Using a sharp knife, score the ham with cuts across the skin, about 2-inches apart and 1/2-inch deep. Cut diagonally down the slashes to form a diamond pattern; season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Chop about 8 of the sage leaves and put it in a bowl; mix with the oil to make a paste. Rub the sage-oil all over the ham, being sure to get the flavor into all the slits. Bake the ham for 2 hours. Now there is plenty of time to bang-out the tangerine glaze.


For the glaze: Place a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chunks of butter, tangerines, tangerine juice, brown sugar, water, and spices. Slowly cook the liquid down to a syrupy glaze; this should take about 30 to 40 minutes.


After the ham has being going for a couple of hours, pour the tangerine glaze all over it, with the pieces of fruit and all. Scatter the remaining sage leaves on top and stick the ham back in the oven and continue to cook for 11/2 hours, basting with the juices every 30 minutes.


Scatter the carrots around the ham and coat in the tangerine glaze. Stick the ham once again back in the oven and cook for a final 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender, the ham is dark and crispy, and the whole thing is glistening with a sugary glaze.


Set the ham on a cutting board to rest before carving. Serve the carrots and tangerine glaze on the side.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Honey Bun Cake

A friend of mine from college got this off of AllRecipes.com, and then she blogged about it. So then I made it, and now I am blogging about it. It is good! It is also relatively healthy because of the applesauce and egg whites. (Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 piece) equals 185 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 198 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.)

I have to confess that I made this last night, and I DID NOT have the applesauce, so I substituted unhealthy oil for it. haha Oh well. So, I put 1/3 c of canola oil. Also, after already not using the healthy fat, I went ahead and put 3 eggs instead of the 4 egg whites. SOOOOOO mine wasn't healthy. But either way, it is GOOD! :)

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow or whitecake mix
4 egg whites
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

For Filling:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*By the way, I used a bundt pan. I think this is the kind of cake that is perfect in that pan, but I'm sure you can use whatever.

Directions:1. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, egg whites, sour cream and applesauce. Beat on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.2. Pour HALF into a greased 9 x 13 or bundt pan. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Cover with remaining batter; cut through with a knife to swirl. Bake at 325 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (If using bundt pan, bake for 40-45 minutes). Cool on a wire rack. Flip over onto serving dish.3. For glaze, combine confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth; drizzle over warm cake. Store at room temperature.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Best Ever Potato Soup

I know that we are kind of getting out of the "soup weather," so that's why I haven't posted this. But then this morning as I felt the cold wind blowing, I thought, "There is still time." So here it is:

Ingredients:
10 bacon strips, diced
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth
1 small carrot, grated (we don’t put this in)
½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon each celery seed, salt and pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
8 oz Velveeta cheese cubed (or you can use 8 oz of cheddar)
2 green onions, thinly sliced

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp; drain. Remove about half of bacon to put on top of soup. Add potatoes, broth, carrot, onion, parsley, celery seed, salt & pepper. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).

Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to soup. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted and the soup is heated through. Garnish with green onions and reserved bacon.

*You can add an extra potato or two and then mash some of the potatoes to help with the thickening. Also, it's not a bad idea to double the recipe because it goes fast!