Posted By dukat76 on August 20, 2008

Mascarpone

1 quart heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Manischewitz sour salt

Pour cream into a heavy Dutch oven and set over low heat. Slowly heat the cream to 180 degrees F to 190 degrees F. (At 175 degrees F, start to keep a close watch.) Stir the cream a little. When the cream is ready, remove from heat. Sprinkle in the citric acid (sour salt), stirring gently twice. Wait until liquid stops moving and stir gently a few more times. Cover pot and let curds form for 30 to 40 minutes. The curds will firm up, but may not be obviously separated from the whey.

Meanwhile, line a strainer with damp cheesecloth and rest the strainer over a large bowl. Pour the cream through the strainer. Drain until mascarpone is room temperature. Cover the strainer, bowl and all, with plastic wrap to prevent refrigerator odors from getting into the delicate cheese and chill for 24 hours, to finish firming the cheese.

The mascarpone left in the strainer will be thick and creamy and ready to use. Transfer to a bowl and peel of cheesecloth. Keep refrigerated. Use within a week.

Makes 7/8 pound.

Category: Cheese | No Comments »
Tags: Mascarpone

Posted By dukat76 on July 14, 2008

Apricot Cream Fried Pies

Posted by FootsieBear at recipegoldmine.com 4:34:46am 9/4/03

Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

1 1/3 cups water
1 (6 ounce) package dried apricots
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
Vegetable oil

Bring 1 1/3 cups water and apricots to a boil over medium heat. Cook 30 minutes; drain. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Cool completely.

Process sugar and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add apricots; pulse 2 to 3 times or until blended.

Roll piecrusts into 12-inch circles; cut each crust into 9 (4-inch) circles. Spoon 2 rounded teaspoonsful apricot mixture onto half of each pastry circle. Moisten edges with water; fold dough over fruit mixture, pressing edges to seal. Crimp edges with a fork dipped in flour.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch into a large heavy skillet; heat to 350 degrees F. Fry pies, in batches, 2 minutes on each side.

NOTE: Pies may be baked on lightly greased baking sheets at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes.

Category: Pies | No Comments »
Tags: Apricot, Cream, Fried

Posted By dukat76 on June 29, 2008

Vegetable Knox Blox

5 envelopes Knox? unflavored gelatine
3/4 cup cold water
2 cups vegetable juice cocktail or
    tomato juice, heated to boiling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Any combination of finely chopped
    carrots, celery, cucumber, green pepper,
    mushrooms, radish, scallion, zucchini,
    to equal 3 cups
Few drops of hot pepper sauce (optional)

In a large bowl, sprinkle Knox? unflavored gelatine over cold water; let stand 1 minute. Add hot vegetable juice and stir until gelatine is completely dissolved. Stir in sugar, salt, vegetables and hot pepper sauce. Pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan and chill until firm.

To serve, cut into 1-inch squares.

Category: Vegetables | No Comments »
Tags: Vegetable

Posted By dukat76 on February 26, 2008

Chocolate-Hazelnut Panforte (Italian Fruitcake)

Source: Bon Appetit Christmas

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, divided*
1 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts
1 cup whole unblanched almonds
1 1/2 cups lightly packed chopped dried Calimyrna figs
1 1/2 cups lightly packed chopped dried apricots
1 cup diced candied citron
2 tablespoons grated orange peel (orange part only)
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel (yellow part only)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably
    Dutch-process), plus more for sprinkling tops
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 scant teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 scant teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or
    semisweet chocolate, melted

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Brush two 8-inch round cake pans with melted butter. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Brush parchment generously with butter. Reserve remaining butter.

Place hazelnuts on small cookie sheet; place almonds on another small cookie sheet. Toast in oven until nuts are brown and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes for almonds and 14 minutes for hazelnuts. Cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Gather hazelnuts in dish towel. Rub in rough towel to remove husks. Transfer hazelnuts and almonds to large bowl. Add figs, apricots, citron, orange peel and lemon peel.

Combine flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, pepper and cloves in small bowl. Add to nuts and mix well.

Combine sugar, honey and remaining melted butter in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture is smooth and sugar is mostly dissolved, about 5 minutes. Bring to boil. Continue cooking until candy thermometer registers 248 degrees F (firm-ball stage). Immediately pour over nut mixture. Stir to combine.

Divide batter between prepared pans, using back of a buttered spoon to spread evenly. Bake until top and edges just begin to brown and tops feel dry, about 1 1/4 hours.

Cool slightly on wire rack. Run a small sharp knife around edges of pans to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto work surface; peel off parchment. Cool cakes completely.

Arrange cakes top sides up on 8-inch cardboard rounds. Spread half the melted chocolate over each. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.

Sprinkle tops of cakes with cocoa powder. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

The cakes can be prepared up to 1 month ahead. Store at cool room temperature. Makes two 8-inch cakes, 64 servings.

* Use real butter or stick margarine. Do not substitute reduced-fat spreads; their higher water content often yields less-satisfactory results.

Calories: 118 per 1/2-inch slice (6% from protein, 61% from carbohydrate, 33% from fat)

Protein: 1.9 grams; Total fat: 4.7 grams; Saturated fat: 1.3 grams; Cholesterol: 2 mg; Sodium: 4 mg; Carbohydrate: 19.8 grams; Fiber: 1.8 grams; Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 1 starch, 1 fat

Category: Fruitcakes | No Comments »
Tags: Chocolate-hazelnut, Panforte

Posted By dukat76 on February 1, 2008

Mushroom Stuffing

4 slices bacon, chopped
3 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1 pound mixed mushrooms (white, crimini, portabella), diced
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (16 ounce) package unseasoned cornbread stuffing mix
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
4 eggs
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Cook bacon in a large, deep skillet until crisp and golden brown. Remove all but 1 to 2 tablespoons fat. Add onion and celery; saut? until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook 5 minutes. Add sage, salt, pepper; stir and cook 1 minute.

Add stuffing mix, parsley and celery leaves if using. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and wine. Add to stuffing. Drizzle with half of broth; toss. Turn into prepared baking pan. Dot with butter. Cover with aluminum foil. (Or use to stuff a 12 to 15 pound turkey). DO NOT STUFF IN ADVANCE. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover; let stand 10 minutes.

Category: Stuffing | No Comments »
Tags: Mushroom

Posted By dukat76 on June 17, 2008

Squash Casserole

2 pounds squash
2 eggs
1/2 to 3/4 medium onion, chopped
6 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Round butter crackers, crushed
Butter or margarine

Cook squash in small amount of water until tender. Drain well and mash.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Saut? onion in margarine. Add squash, eggs, milk, brown sugar and salt to onions. Mix well.

In a buttered 2-quart casserole put 1 layer of 10 crushed crackers, 1 layer of squash mixture and 1 layer of cheese. Repeat the 3 layers. Top with cracker crumbs and dots of butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Can be frozen.

Category: Casseroles | No Comments »
Tags: Casserole, Squash

Posted By dukat76 on January 24, 2008

Quaker? Mexican Chicken and Barley Chili

1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups water
1/2 cup medium Quaker? Barley
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken

In 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, cook onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Add remaining ingredients, except chicken. Use the tomato juice and chop the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cooked chicken; continue simmering 5 to 10 minutes or until chicken is heated through and barley is tender. Add additional water or chicken broth if chili becomes too thick upon standing.

Makes nine 1-cup servings.

Category: Chicken, Chili | No Comments »
Tags: Barley, Mexican, Quaker

Posted By dukat76 on January 28, 2008

California Dip Meatloaf

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Source: 365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meats

1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
3/4 cup sour cream (not reduced-fat)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups crushed salt-free potato chips (about 6 1/2 ounces)
2 pounds ground round or meatloaf mix

In a medium bowl, mix the soup, sour cream, eggs, and water until combined. Stir in the potato chips. Add the ground round and mix well. Transfer to an 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf reads 160 degrees F, about 1 1/4 hours.

Let stand 5 minutes.

Drain off excess liquid and slice.

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Tags: California

Posted By dukat76 on January 5, 2008

Fudgy Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
24 miniature chocolate-covered peanut butter cups

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil so that the foil extends 2 inches beyond the two long sides of the pan. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of the foil-lined pan. Melt the butter and chocolate together. Cool until tepid.

In a medium bowl, using a wire whisk, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the sugar and beat until blended. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Stir in the flour and salt until well combined. Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Arrange the peanut butter cups evenly over the batter, in four rows of six cups each. Press down lightly on each cup. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, and carefully spread level over the peanut butter cups. Bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Cool the brownies completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Using the two ends of the foil as handles, lift the brownies out of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Chocolate Sauce
8 ounces milk chocolate, broken into pieces
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

Do not make the sauce until the brownies have chilled. Place the milk chocolate in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Process for 10 to 20 seconds, until finely chopped. Transfer the chocolate to a medium bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate.

Gently whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Remove the plastic wrap from the brownies and invert onto a cutting board or large plate. Carefully peel off the foil. Re-invert the brownies onto a smooth surface and cut evenly into 24 squares, so that each brownie has one peanut butter cup in its center. To serve, place one brownie on each dessert plate, top with some of the milk chocolate sauce, and sprinkle with some of the chopped peanuts.

Category: Butter, Cookies | No Comments »
Tags: Brownies, Fudgy, Peanut

Posted By dukat76 on August 29, 2008

Corned Beef Salad

1 small box lemon gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 can corned beef, flaked
3 eggs, hardboiled and chopped
1 small onion, grated
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup salad dressing

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Cool.

Add remaining ingredients, adding salad dressing last. Chill to set.

Category: Jello | No Comments »
Tags: Corned, Salad