Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Ham and Asparagus Bake

2 Cups ham, cooked and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 Cup chopped green onions
2 Cups fresh asparagus cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons butter
8 eggs
2 Cups milk
1/2 Cup flour
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon cracked rosemary
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add asparagus and green onion and saute until tender, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. 2. Add asparagus, onions and ham to baking dish. In large bowl, beat together remaining ingredients (except cheddar cheese) until smooth. Pour over ham. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted. Let set a few minutes before cutting and serving

Glazed Ham Loaf

Glaze:
2 Cups Plus 2 Tbsp. lightly packed dark brown sugar
3/8 Cup tarragon vinegar
3 Tablespoons Madeira wine
3 teaspoons dry mustard

Ham Loaf:
4 pounds combined cooked ham, finely chopped, and fresh ground pork (4:1 ratio in recipe)
1 1/2 Cups minced parsley leaves
1 Cup milk
2 eggs
6 small shallots, minced
3 Tablespoons glaze
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
For glaze: Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender. Remove and set aside.
2. For ham loaf: Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and blend uniformly using wooden spoon or your hands. Turn mixture into 9 x 13 inch baking dish and shape into oval loaf. (Or make 4 smaller loaves, crosswise in 9 x 13 pan.) Brush generously with glaze. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes, basting several times with additional glaze. Remove from oven, drain off juice and brush generously with remaining glaze. May be served hot or cold.

Eggs Albuquerque

1/2 Cup butter
10 eggs
1/2 Cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 pint cottage cheese
Melt butter in 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat 10 eggs. Blend 1/2 Cup flour with baking powder and salt. Mix with eggs. Fold in cheese and cottage cheese.
Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn heat to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes (will brown on top). Serve with salsa.

Easy Scottish Shortbread

1/2 pound butter (1 Cup)
1 Cup powdered sugar
2 Cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Mix flour, salt and baking powder and add to creamed mixture. Roll out on cookie sheet or pizza pan (ungreased) to 1/4 inch thick. Prick lightly with fork.
Bake 350 degrees 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Cut into squares immediately upon removing from oven.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Swedish Meatballs

Meatballs
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large slice high-quality white sandwich bread , crusts removed and bread torn into 1-inch pieces 8 ounces ground pork
1 small onion , grated on large holes of box grater (about 1/4 cup)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar (see note)
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar (see note)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
Table salt and ground black pepper

1. For the Meatballs: Whisk egg and cream together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside. Meanwhile, in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to mixer bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. Using moistened hands, form generous tablespoon of meat mixture into 1-inch round meatball; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25 to 30 meatballs.
2. Heat oil in 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles (oil should register 350 degrees on instant-read thermometer), 3 to 5 minutes. Add meatballs in single layer and fry, flipping once halfway through cooking, until lightly browned all over and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking.) Using slotted spoon, transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate.

3. For the Sauce: Pour off and discard oil in pan, leaving any fond (browned bits) behind. Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add brown sugar and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and return to simmer.4. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Comments from magazine:

Notes: The traditional accompaniments for Swedish meatballs are lingonberry preserves and Swedish Pickled Cucumbers (see related recipe). If you can’t find lingonberry preserves, cranberry preserves may be used.
For a slightly less sweet dish, omit the brown sugar in the meatballs and reduce the brown sugar in the sauce to 2 teaspoons. A 12-inch slope-sided skillet can be used in place of the sauce pan use 1 1/2 cups of oil to fry instead of 1 1/4 cups. The meatballs can be fried and then frozen for up to 2 weeks. To continue with the recipe, thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight and proceed from step 3, using a clean pan. Serve the meatballs with mashed potatoes, boiled red potatoes, or egg noodles.
Meatball Tips USE WET HANDS
Keep a bowl of water nearby and dip your fingers after every two or three meatballs to prevent the meat from sticking as you form the balls. (My note: use small Pampered Chef cookie scoop to make meat balls, dipping in water every couple meatballs.) KEEP ORGANIZED Starting near the skillet handle, arrange the meatballs in a clockwise spiral to keep track of when each one needs to be flipped.

Orange Pecan French Toast Casserole

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
Cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
2 large eggs
12 (1-inch-thick) slices French bread (about 1 pound)

Combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup; pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over sugar mixture.Combine rind and next 7 ingredients (rind through eggs); stir with a whisk. Arrange bread slices over pecans in dish; pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight.Preheat oven to 350°.Carefully turn bread slices over to absorb excess egg mixture. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve pecan side up.

German Apple Pancake

Batter:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
1 cup egg substitute
1 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apple mixture:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
1 cup thinly sliced Granny Smith apple
Remaining ingredient: 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1. To prepare batter, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine egg substitute, milk, butter, and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg substitute mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. To prepare apple mixture, coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch ovenproof skillet with cooking spray. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; sprinkle evenly over bottom and sides of pan. Arrange apple in an even spokelike layer in pan. Sprinkle apple with remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Cook over medium heat 8 minutes or until mixture bubbles. Slowly pour batter over apple mixture.
4. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove pancake from oven); bake an additional 13 minutes or until center is set. Carefully loosen pancake with a spatula. Gently slide pancake onto a serving platter. Sift powdered sugar over top. Cut into 6 wedges; serve immediately.

Baked Coconut French Toast with Tropical Fruit Compote

Compote:
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup chopped peeled mango
1 cup chopped peeled papaya
1 cup chopped peeled kiwifruit
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

French toast:
16 (1-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette (about 10 ounces)
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups light coconut milk
1 1/4 cups egg substitute
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

To prepare compote, combine first 6 ingredients. Cover and chill for 8 hours or overnight.

To prepare the French toast, arrange bread in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine light coconut milk, egg substitute, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla, stirring with a whisk, and pour evenly over bread. Turn the bread over to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.Preheat oven to 350°.Remove bread mixture from refrigerator, and uncover. Turn bread slices over, and sprinkle evenly with flaked coconut. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 30 minutes or until coconut is golden. Serve warm with fruit compote.
Note: per recipe: While the fruit compote really complements this dish, you can omit it and pour on maple syrup instead. If you do so, reduce the amount of sugar in the milk mixture by half.

Multi-Grain Pancakes (Muesli) with Apple, Cranberry and Pecan Topping

4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 Cups whole milk
1 1/4 Cups plus3 Tablespoons no-sugar-added muesli (Familia or Alpen brand)
3/4 Cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 Cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking
/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
vegetable oil (or butter)
1. Whisk lemon juice and milk together in medium bowl or 4 cup measuring cup; set aside to thicken while preparing other ingredients. Process 1 1/4 Cups muesli in food processor until finely ground, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes; transfer to large bowl. Add remaining 3 tablespoons unground muesli, flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk to combine. 2. Whisk eggs, melted butter, and vanilla into milk until combined. Make well in center of dry ingredients in bowl. Pour in milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (few streaks of flour and lumps should remain). Do not overmix. Allow batter to rest at least 5 minutes. 3. Heat 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add oil (or margarine). Serve with Apple, Cranberry, and Pecan Topping.
Note: If you can only find muesli with fruit and nuts, remove the dried fruit or raisins and use in something else. The nuts chop ok in the food processor (and you could probably use a blender) but the dried fruit doesn't.

Apple, Cranberry and Pecan Topping
3 1/2 Tablespoons cold butter (unsalted) (or salted)
3 medium applies, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (4 C) (Fuji, Gala)
1 Cup apple cider (or apple juice)
1/2 Cup dried cranberries
1/2 Cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 Cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarsely

Melt 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in cider and cranberries; cook until liquid has almost evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and cook until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and remaining butter; whisk until sauce is smooth. Serve with toasted nuts.

Marmalade Stuffed French Toast with Orange Syrup

8 2 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch slices French Bread (about 1 inch thick)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 Cup marmalade
4 large eggs
1 Cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons butter

ORANGE SYRUP
:3/4 Cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 Cup butter
1/2 Cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven. Cutting through top crust of each bread slice, make 1-inch long by 2-inch deep pocket. Stir cream cheese and marmalade in small bowl. Spoon 1 generous tablespoonful into each bread pocket. Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in pie plate. Dip bread slices into egg mixture, coating completely. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add dipped bread to skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Repeat with remaining slices. Serve with orange syrup.
2. Orange syrup (makes about 1 1/4 cups). combine all ingredients in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves (do not biol). Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Rewarm over low heat. Note: can also be used as salad dressing for apple/celery/pecan salad.

Cream Cheese Coffeecake

Lemon Sugar-Almond Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Cake
2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter , softened but still cool
1 cup plus 7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
4 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese , softened
1. FOR THE TOPPING: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined and sugar is moistened. Stir in almonds; set aside.2. FOR THE CAKE: Spray 10-inch tube pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 20 seconds, and scraping down beater and sides of bowl as necessary. Add 4 teaspoons vanilla and mix to combine. Reduce speed to low and add one-third flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream, mixing until incorporated after each addition, 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat, using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining sour cream. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.3. Reserve 1¼ cups batter and set aside. Spoon remaining batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Return now-empty bowl to mixer and beat cream cheese, remaining 5 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice, and remaining teaspoon vanilla on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup reserved batter and mix until incorporated. Spoon cheese filling mixture evenly over batter, keeping filling about 1 inch from edges of pan; smooth top. Spread remaining cup reserved batter over filling and smooth top. With butter knife or offset spatula, gently swirl filling into batter using figure-8 motion, being careful to not drag filling to bottom or edges of pan. Firmly tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any bubbles. Sprinkle lemon sugar-almond topping evenly over batter and gently press into batter to adhere.4. Bake until top is golden and just firm, and long skewer inserted into cake comes out clean (skewer will be wet if inserted into cheese filling), 45 to 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven and firmly tap on counter 2 or 3 times (top of cake may sink slightly). Cool cake in pan on wire rack 1 hour. Gently invert cake onto rimmed baking sheet (cake will be topping-side down); remove tube pan, place wire rack on top of cake, and invert cake sugar-side up. Cool to room temperature, about 1½ hours. Cut into slices and serve.