Scallops in Orange Beurre Blanc

Seared sea scallops with an easy and pure orange beurre blanc sauce brighten up January.  The sauce sets up in the time it takes to sear your scallops.   Steamed shrimp, mild white fish and even chicken breasts also like this sauce.  For chicken, try a variation with sliced green olives.

Scallops in Orange Beurre Blanc
Serves 2, recipe can be doubled

For scallops:
10-12  sea scallops
Salt, pepper, paprika or red pepper, flour for dusting scallops
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 

For sauce:
zest of half on orange
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 cup COLD unsalted butter (1 stick)
salt and pepper

Method

1. Prepare scallops by seasoning with salt, pepper, paprika and/or red pepper.  Dust lightly with flour.
2. Heat over medium-high heat a wide skillet with a heavy bottom to sear scallops.
3. While skillet heats, place zest, orange juice and wine in small pot and simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/3 original quantity.
4. When skillet is hot, add oil.  Allow 30 seconds for oil to heat then add scallops.  Do not move scallops for at least 2 minutes.
5. Cut butter into large chunks and drop into pot with reduced juice mixture.  With pot on lowest heat, stir cold butter into liquid.  Keep stirring to create a thick sauce.  Set aside (off heat).
6. Turn scallops when they are seared well enough to come off skillet easily.  Cook another 2 minutes on the flip side.  Scallops will have a golden brown color on each side and be opaque through centers.
7. Drain scallops on paper towel then serve with sauce.  

Happy January!

Oven-Marinated Olives, Mushrooms & Artichokes

These are simple vegetable appetizers you can do ahead in the oven by combining various bite-sized edibles with herbs, spices, citrus peel and flavored oils.  They are nice warm or room temperature though they taste best if allowed to sit overnight to soak up all the flavorings.

Our olives get flavor from olive oil, orange peel, fresh thyme and red pepper flakes. Use two cans for a crowd with 2 tablespoon oil, peel of 1/2 an orange, 4-5 sprigs thyme and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.  Feel free to adjust amounts to suit your tastes.  This makes a fairly spicy olive.

We use small frozen artichokes that are defrosted before being mixed with olive oil, lemon peel, juice of 1/2 lemon, fresh parsley and fresh thyme.  Canned artichokes do not hold up as well in the oven.  If you only have canned ones, marinate them at room temperature after rinsing them with a strainer.  You will need at least a day in the refrigerator to marinate.

Our mushroom have a secret ingredient, fish sauce*.  A little goes a long way.  Mix a few drops with a squeeze of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of oil oil for every cup of mushrooms.  Also add oregano and black pepper.

Wrap each mixture tightly in aluminum foil and bake at 400˚F for 15-20 minutes.  Allow them to cool in their packets then open and serve with toothpicks.  Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

*Use soy sauce in place of fish sauce for strictly vegetarian.  There are one or two vegan Worcestershire sauces that can be used as well.


Happy New Year!

Instagram Summer at PureFrances

Pure Foods Project blog is taking a summer vacation over on Instagram.  Find posts and follow me at PureFrances...

Yogurt Container Cucumber Soup

Lentil Salad with Yellow Beets and Goat Cheese

Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche & Dill Cucumber Cups 

Cherry Fontina Grilled Cheese

Serve Cherry Fontina Grilled Cheese on french bread for an open face summer bite alongside cocktails.  You know Fontina is a great melting cheese in pasta dishes and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Did you know Fontina cheese has an affinity for cherries?  The cherries are flavored with lemon juice, lemon peel, black pepper and a little ground cinnamon.  This is a fun grilled appetizer during the summer and a warming simple treat straight out of the oven when the weather turns cool.

Cherry Fontina Grilled Cheese 
Serves 2 as an entree, 6-8 as appetizers

Ingredients
6 slices french bread
1 cup pitted bing cherries
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
6 ounces Fontina cheese, sliced

Method

1. Lightly brown your bread slices while preparing the cherry mixture.
2. Roughly chop cherries.  In a small bowl mix berries with lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt, cinnamon and black pepper.
3. Cover browned bread slices a heaping tablespoon of cherry mixture and top with cheese.  Leave a few extra cherries to garnish finished sandwiches.
4. Slide a trayful under the broiler or place them on tin foil on a hot grill.  Cover and let the cheese melt.
5. Top with reserved cherries.

This sandwich is approved for breakfast, main course, appetizer or dessert!

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms are not just a great hot appetizer that can be made ahead.  The cream cheese in the stuffing creates a creamy light sauce when tossed with hot pasta, rice or other hot grain so you can toss leftovers, whole or halved, into your next meal.

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes 14-18 

Ingredients
10 ounces portobello mushrooms, capped removed
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces fresh spinach
2 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried dill (4 springs fresh dill)
salt & pepper

Method
If serving right away preheat over to 350˚F.

1. Place mushroom caps on a baking dish coated with oil.
2. Steam well washed spinach until just wilted.  Drain very well, squeezing to expel water, and chop well.
3. Mix together cream cheese, dill, salt and pepper.  Add warm spinach and combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Use a teaspoon to generously stuff mushroom caps, setting each one back in baking dish.  
5. At this point you can cover and refrigerate mushrooms to bake and serve the next day.  
6. To bake: preheat oven to 350˚F  .  Bake 12-15 minutes until cream cheese is heated and slightly melted.

Shrimp & Pesto Romaine Boats

Here is a simple do-it-yourself appetizer or buffet item for Spring parties like graduations, engagements, weddings and bon voyage parties.

Shrimp & Pesto Romaine Boats can even be made from fresh and pure store bought ingredients.

Shrimp & Pesto Romaine Boats
Serves 8

Ingredients
1 pound shrimp
1 8 oz container pesto (any variety)
2 heads romaine, large out leaves removed

Method:

1. If you are using raw shrimp, steam and peel. Chill in refrigerator at least one hour. If you purchased cooked shrimp, begin at next step.
2. Place shrimp on a pretty serving dish and be sure shrimp stays well chilled.  Set the serving dish over a larger platter filled with ice and some water.
3. Tear individual leaves from romaine lettuce heads and place on a platter next to our surrounding a dish of pesto
4. Let guests serve themselves by scooping some pesto onto a leaf then  garnishing with shrimp.

Variations on the theme:

• Tuna or chicken salad with crunchy toppings like chopped celery and pickles, red bell pepper
• Replace pesto with hummus and top with slices of grilled chicken
• Replace pesto with homemade Russian dressing and top with crabmeat

How to Hack Artichokes

If you've never cooked your own artichokes, this is the time of year to start experimenting.  They are easier to tackle than they look and are the world's best finger food. 

I am compelled to write this week's post by the most recent 'artichokes made easy' article I read in which the author recommended starting small, as in prepping baby artichokes.  This is an arduous task that pays off for only the truest of artichoke lovers.  If you want baby artichokes, by the frozen!  For beginners who want a freshly cooked artichoke, I say start big.  Find the biggest and heaviest artichoke in the bin and prep only one per person.

Here's how to tackle your first artichoke.

How to Buy Artichokes:  Artichokes can be very round or a bit pointy.  Either is fine.  Hold each one and pick only ones that are heavy for their size.  That means they have more water content and are fresher.  See any leaf tips that are bronze or tan?  Pick that one.  It means the plant went through a mild frost and has developed a deeper flavor.  Artichokes like a bit of heat and a bot of cold when growing.

Scroll down for simple cooking instructions.  If you already know how to steam or boil artichokes, enjoy this fresh spin on a classic that uses fresh artichoke and fresh spinach:

Easy Spinach Dip Artichokes
Serves 4
 
Ingredients
2 artichokes, cooked , halved and choke removed  (See method below if new to artichokes)
3 tablespoons good mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon grated cheese like mozzarella, cheddar or even some cream cheese
1/2 cup steamed spinach (start with 2 cups raw)
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
salt and pepper to taste
optional: 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese or panko bread crumbs
 
Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Place artichoke halves on a foil lined backing sheet.
3. In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients.  Taste and adjust seasoning. 
4. Scoop dip into hollowed out artichokes.
5. If using, top with bread crumbs or grated cheese (or both)
6. Bake 20 minutes until artichokes are hot and dip is bubbling.  Cheese and bread crumbs will be browned. 
7. Serve as is or add in extra dippers like bread sticks.

How to Cook Artichokes:

• Get out a large pot with a top. Cut off the bottom stem of each artichoke, leaving about 1/2 inch.  If there are sharp points at the tips of the leaves you can cut these with kitchen shears but I usually skip this step.  I also do not bother to snip the little outer leaves around the base. 
• Before adding water to your pot, place the artichokes inside so they are standing on their cut stems.  This is to make sure each will fit and you can cover the pot.
• Now add water.  You can steam artichokes and this is the fastest way to cook them- about 30-35 minutes. Boiling is also a good option and takes about 45 minutes. 
• Test leaves for tenderness about midway through.  To test, grab the tip of an inner leaf, one about halfway up the stacked leaves, and tug.  If it comes out easily, taste it for tenderness.  You should be able to bite the leaf lightly and pull the flesh off between your teeth.  If it's too hard to pull away, keep cooking for another 10-15 minutes and test again. Use large tongs to hold onto artichoke as you pull out the leaf.  They are in hot water and will be quite hot to touch.

 













Now what?

• Artichokes can be eaten right away.  See below for eating tips. If you want to make life really easy do what they do in Rome and let them cool before messing with them further. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight . 
• When the artichokes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise with kitchen sheers or a very sharp knife.  Use a spoon to remove the inner purplish-green leaves and the fuzzy choke.  You now have perfectly prepared artichoke halves with hearts and edible leaves intact. 
• Serve cold with a mayonnaise or reheated with melted butter and lemon.  Reheat over a steamer or in the microwave for a minute or two. Try the recipe for hot spinach  dip served in artichoke halves.  Great as an appetizer you can make ahead or serve two for a vegetarian main course.

Eating Tips

• Serve freshly steamed whole artichokes on a plate with a side of melted butter or mayonnaise mixed with a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.  Dip artichoke leaves and have a shared discard bowl available for the leaves.  No one likes a cluttered plate and you will need room for the best part-- the heart of the artichoke.  Once all the leaves are enjoyed, you are left with the 'choke' which looks like a fuzzy saucer with a tent of purplish-green leaves.  Pull away these leaves en masse then use a butter knife to scrape away the seed pods.  You are left with a little moon crater of goodness, the heart of the artichoke.  Cut this into bite-sized pieces and dip in the butter.  Pure heaven. 

Wine and Artichokes

•  Cynarin, the acid in artichokes which creates its unique aftertaste makes artichokes notoriously hard to match with wines. Artichokes make the foods and drinks paired with them taste sweeter and this mixes up wine in particular.  For years experts recommended not serving wine with artichokes and in fact beer is not a bad idea.  Recently some bold oenophiles have started pairing sherry or very high acid, dry wines with the vegetable to balance out the cynarin effect. 

Black Pepper & Cherry Savory Crackers

These tender crackers are for soft goat cheeses and tubs of homemade (or farm stand) ricotta cheese.  Black pepper and dried cherry feature here but feel free to swap in chopped rosemary and dried figs or walnuts and dates.  Try serving the crackers with drier cheeses too--Manchego comes to mind.

Black Pepper & Cherry Savory Crackers
Yield 2 dozen crackers

Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
¼ teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ¼ cups flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
½ cup dried fruit, chopped(cherries, cranberries, nectarines,
¼ sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Method

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and use an electric beater to mix until fluffy.  
2. Add salt, pepper and brown sugar and continue to beat until sugar has melded with butter.  
3. Add flour as you continue to beat so that the flour is nicely coated in butter mixture.  Do this in three batches but work quickly so you do not over work the flour and create a tough cracker.
4. Add egg and mix in.  
5. Use a large spoon to mix in dried fruit, nuts and any extra flavorings (herbs, citrus zest, etc).  
6. Using your hands, form the dough into a log.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.  
7. Once chilled, preheat oven to 350˚F.  
8. Slice dough in ¼ inch slices and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet.  
9. Bake 10 minutes until crackers are just browning on the bottom.  
10. Remove to a cookie rack to cool.  Crackers will crisp as they cool.  Store in an airtight container. 

Denver Versus Carolina Wings

Super Bowl recipes are everywhere and I am no different in wanting something fun to serve while watching the "big game."  This year it's chicken wings with two sauces: one to celebrate Denver and the other for Carolina.

For the Broncos, it's got be chili verde wings. Denver residents, including my brother, put their famous green chili sauce on everything from breakfast to through dinner. We all know the Carolinas are famous for several types of great barbecue so for the Panthers we'll toss the wings in a thin vinegar-hot sauce that reminds me of little of Buffalo wings.

Get ready-- it's game on.

And by get ready, I mean the cook should enjoy the party too.  The wings are cooked right out of the freezer, drained then finished in their sauce.  You can even make them ahead. 

  

Denver Versus Carolina Wings

Recipe makes enough sauce for 3 dozen wings and can be doubled or tripled.

Start with the Wings:
Ingredients

36 frozen chicken wings  (about 3 pounds)

1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. 
2. Line two roasting pans with tin foil.   
3. Place half the wings in each pan and roast for 15 minutes then drain wings.  While wings roast, prepare sauces. 

...for the Denver Wings

Chile Verde Sauce

2 Poblano or Anaheim peppers (canned is OK according to Denver residents)

1 jalepeño chili pepper

1 medium tomatillo*

½ medium onion

1 clove garlic

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

handful fresh cilantro

¼ cup water

*If you cannot find tomatillos, substitute a seeded tomato and a tablespoon of lime juice

1. Roast, peel and seed fresh chilies if using.  If using canned, skip this step.   
2. Roughly chop chilies, onion and peeled garlic clove.  (You may use jalepeño without roasting.  Seed and remove veins before chopping.) 
3. Add chopped vegetables, spices and cilantro to a food processor.  Pulse to create a puree.   
4. Add water by tablespoonful if pulp is very thick.  You are looking for a thick but pourable sauce.

...for the Carolina Wings

Vinegar Barbecue Sauce

½ cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon maple syrup (or brown sugar)

2 teaspoons hot sauce (or ketchup if you do not want spicy wings)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a jar.  Seal the jar and shake well.

Finish Wings:

1. Pour the Chili Verde Sauce in one pan and the Vinegar Barbecue Sauce in the other.  Toss each sauce with the wings to coat completely.   You may have a little leftover sauce. 
2. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes.  Halfway through turn the wings over in the sauce and switch their positions in the oven.  Wings  are ready when they reach a temperaure of 170˚F.  Serve immediately or cool and store covered.  (If using fresh wings, check after 20 minutes.)
3. If you want your wings to have crisp skins, turn each wing so that it is sitting skin side up. Turn the oven to broil and place the roasting pan on the top rack.   Broil for 5 minutes, watching carefully.

Wings can be served plain or with dippers like sour cream, guacamole or buttermilk based dressings or drag them through some bean or beer-cheese dip. The Carolina wings also taste good with blue cheese dressing inthe style of Buffalo wings.

Store cooled wings covered in the refrigerator.  Reheat wings uncovered in a preheated 325˚F oven for 15-20 minutes.  Wings can be reheated in the microwave  with a cover --like a piece of paper towel to absorb any slattter.  They do not crisp up as well in the mircowave as in the oven.

If you have a litttle more time and care about the amount of fat associated with chicken wings you can roast the wings for 15 minutes, drain the fat and then combine the wings with their respective saauce.  Cook another 10-15 minutes until the wings reach a temperaure of 170˚F.

Filo-Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks

Filo-Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks are a quick and impressive hot appetizer to pass around or place on top of a simple green salad.  By wrapping each stick of cheese in prosciutto, you get extra flavor and prevent the cheese from oozing out before the filo is browned.  The saltiness of the Prociutto ham is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the quince paste.  If you cannot find quince paste, any good quality jam or an apple butter would work well.  Experiment with fig or apricot jam.

Filo-Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks
Makes 16 appetizers, recipe easily doubled

Ingredients
1/2 pound low-moisture mozzarella
8 slices prosciutto, cut in half
1/4 cup quince paste, apple butter or other not to sweet jam
16 sheets filo dough (wrapped well or covered)
1/4 cup melted butter

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly oil the sheet.
2.  Cut mozzarella cheese into 16 long sticks.  Lay each on a slice of prosciutto.  Place a small amount of quince paste, about half a teaspoon, along the cheese on the ham.  
3. Start rolling the cheese in the ham.  As you roll, the quince paste will spread along the roll.
4. Open the filo and follow package directions about keeping the sheets moist as you work.  
5. Take a single sheet of filo and lay it on a flat surface. Use a pastry brush to brush melted butter over entire sheet.  Do not worry about small tears in the filo.  It is more forgiving than it appears.
6. Place a wrapped piece of cheese at the bottom center of the buttered filo sheet.  Begin to roll the cheese stick until wrapped twice.  Stop rolling and fold in the sides.  Butter the top layer of filo and continue rolling until the cheeses is completely packaged.
7. Place each wrapped cheese stick on prepared baking sheet. You can place sitcks quite close to each other but not touching.  Give each sitck a final brush of butter.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.  Let sticks rest 5 minutes before serving to allow them to firm up a little. 

Filo sticks may be preapred in advance and frozen.  No need to deforst; add 3-5 minutes of baking time.

Do not use fresh mozzarella in this recipe. The type of cheese used here is readily available at supermarkets and comes in whole milk and skim milk varieties.  You can also use a smoked mozzarella for this recipe.

Lemon Basil Chick Pea Balls

We made these Chick Pea Balls flavored with basil, parsley and lemon to go alongside a minestrone soup brimming with winter vegetables.  Guests popped them into the soup too.  Basil created a culinary bridge to the Italian flavors in the soup.

The base recipe is from Laura Washburn's Vegetarian Foods for Kids (2011). Anyone interested in learning to cook simple and pure vegetarian foods will appreciate her approach. The basic recipes are all kid-friendly and many recipes provide variations that amp up the flavor to match grown up palates.  Her basic chick pea bites are a case in point.  The child's version is made with orange juice and mild spices.  The adult version uses lemon juice and a more sophisticated herb and spice blend.

Chick Pea Balls are not just for appetizers and soup sides.  They can also be packed into pita bread with some salad ingredients and dressing for a vegetarian meal or tossed with pasta and your favorite sauce. 

Lemon Basil Chick Pea Balls
Yield: about twenty-five 1-inch balls

Ingredients
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cans drained chick peas (or 3 1/2 cups cooked and cooled chick peas)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons oat bran (or pulse rolled oats to create oat flour)
2 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh, chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Note: If substituting fresh with dried herbs, use 1 tablespoon each
Spray oil

Method:

1.  Place chopped carrot and celery in a food processor and pulse until vegetables are finely chopped.  
2. Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium heat.  Cook the vegetables for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.  When cooked, place in a large bowl to cool while you prepare the bean mixture.
3. In the same food processor, process drained beans, mayonnaise, oat bran, flour, salt. and lemon juice.  Mixture should be fairly smooth.
4. Add bean mixture to bowl with vegetables.  Add herbs and combine all ingredients.  
5. Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add more salt, lemon juice or more herbs.
6. Make balls by scooping spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined or oiled baking sheet.  Moisten your hands with water and roll scoops into small balls.  You may also use a mini-scoop, the type used for drop cookies.
7. Bake at 375˚F for 25-35 minutes until balls are slightly brown.  Centers will still be moist.  
8. Serve hot or at room temperature.

TIP: Do you have some new vegetarians joining holiday dinners over the next few months?  Check out books like Laura Washburn's for inspiration.  We also point new vegetarians and the families they cook with to Italian cookbooks where vegetables and grains have always gotten their due.

Baked Scotch Quail Eggs

A platter of Scotch Quail Eggs makes a convenient do-ahead football tailgate or fall brunch offering.

A Scotch Egg is a hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat.  A portable meal, they can be found throughout Europe as a fast lunch, snack or picnic food.  In the U.S. it is common to find them at English-themed pubs, served either hot with dipping sauces or at room temperature to accompany a beer.

Daylight Savings Time ends here next Saturday night. With the clocks being pushed back an hour, next Sunday is the best day of the year for a fall-back brunch.  Take that extra hour to enjoy a leisurely Sunday featuring graze Scotch Quail Eggs.

Scotch eggs are usually deep fried to cook the sausage but they can be baked.  Baking is far less messy but creates its own challenges.  We found that chicken eggs were a little too large to wrap and bake successfully.  The sausage meat slipped off the egg by the time the meat was cooked through and the amount of sausage needed for one egg was a larger snack than required.

Using quail eggs, about a quarter the size of a chicken egg, turned out to be the solution.  Their small size makes them easy to wrap and because they require less sausage, cook quickly enough to hold onto the inner hard boiled quail egg through the process.  I also prick a hole in the top, through the sausage layer, that lets steam escape and keeps the sausage sticking to the smooth egg.

Baked Scotch Quail Eggs
Yield: 8

8 quail eggs, hard boiled and peeled*
3/4 pound raw bulk sausage meat
2 cups bread crumbs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F
2. Cover a cutting board with wax or parchment paper to protect the board from raw meat. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with a thin layer of oil or spray oil.
3. Divide sausage into eighths.  Take a portion of sausage and spread it in a thin circle on board.  Lay egg in the middle and wrap sausage up around sides and top of egg.  Use your hands to form into a round ball.  It will look like a large meatball, about 2 inches in diameter.  
4. Repeat with remaining eggs and sausage.  
5. Spread breadcrumbs in a wide soup bowl or pie pan.  Roll each ball in the bread crumbs and place in the baking pan.  
6. Give the Scotch Quail Eggs a thin coat of oil.  This is easiest to do with a spray oil.
7. Use a skewer or toothpick to open a small hole in the top of each Scotch Egg.  This will prevent the inside from building up steam that could cause the sausage to slip off the egg. 
8. Bake at 375˚F for 30-35 minutes, until sausage is cooked through.  
9. Place cooked eggs on a paper towel to drain excess oil.  Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.  Eat within 3 days.

Serving suggesitons:
Serve with a mustard-spiked mayonnaise dip.
Cut in half to add to an appetizer platter.  Their small size makes a manageable mouthful.
Slice Baked Scotch Quail Eggs to nestle inside a warm roll for breakfast.

*To hard boil quail eggs, place eggs in a medium pan and add enough water to cover by an inch.  Bring the water to a boil then remove from the heat and cover the pot for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, drain and add cold water to stop the cooking process.  Peel eggs immediately.  Their skins are very thin and will be easier to peel right away.  Be patient, they are more delicate than chicken eggs.  Do not be surprised by the greenish-blue color under their shells.  This is the inner membrane and commonly has a blueish tint. 

What else can we wrap in sausage? ¡Scotch Jalepeños!
Cream Cheese-Stuffed Jalepeños can be baked alongside Scotch Quail Eggs.  Allow these to cool completely so that the cream cheese is firm when sliced.  Or enjoy an oozing Scotch Jalepeño. 
Core seeds and membrane using a grapefruit knife. Tin foil allows you to bake the whole pepper without tearing.  Peel the blistered skin after baking at a high temperature, 400˚F, turning the pepper once or twice. 

Sausage sticks to a peeled jalepeño better than an unpeeled one.  An uncooked pepper will not cook further once wrapped in sausage.  Use a plastic sandwich bag to squirt cream cheese or any filling into the pepper.

Grilled Shishito Peppers

Shishito Peppers and other thin skinned peppers like Spain's Padron Pepper are easy to grill on an open fire, charcoal grill or a grill pan on your stove top.  All the rage as an appetizer, sprinkled with coarse salt to accompany a cold beer, these also make a simple, pure side dish to grilled steaks or a topping for a burger.  The key is to use high heat to blister the skin and get a light char.

If you have some thin-skinned peppers, whether hot or sweet, in your garden try them grilled like this. Even if the variety is not thin-skinned, home grown peppers tend to have a thinner skins since these varieties are not bred for travel to supermarkets. 

We skewer the peppers whole using the double-skewer method that keeps narrow items like small peppers and asparagus from rolling between the grates and into the coals.  The peppers get a light coating of vegetable oil and cook once the steak is off the grill and resting.  Keep an eye on your peppers since these tender mouthfuls cook quickly.  Turn as the skin blisters, remove and salt lightly before serving. 

It is OK to eat these with your hands. 

To get the effect on a stove top, use a very hot grill pan.  Place the oiled peppers in the pan and turn as they blister  remove, salt and serve immediately.

On open coals (or a bonfire) use a long skewer or a "frank fork" to keep you cool and unblistered while the oiled pepper cooks over the open flame. 

Cold Corn Soup

Three leftover ears of corn, a lime and a can of light coconut milk are all you need for a cold soup on a day when it's too hot to cook. We spiced ours up two ways.  American style with chopped heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market and Asian fusion style with sliced hot red peppers, cilantro and mint. 

Buy that extra half dozen ears of corn at the market this week and you'll have what you need.  This recipe serves three or four as a first course.  We served them as shooters and had enough to serve eight generously. 

Cold Corn Soup
Yield: 3 cups, four 2/3 cup servings

Ingredients
3 ears of corn, cooked and cooled
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
juice of one lime
1/2-2/3 cup water
salt
Garnishes: chopped tomato, sliced hot pepper (red or green), extra lime, mint leaves, chopped cilantro

Method

1. In a deep bowl or pot, use a serrated knife to cut kernels away for corn cob.
2. Add coconut milk and half of the lime juice.
3. Use an immersion blender to puree soup.  Or puree in a blender.
4. Add water, 1/4 cup at a time to create a pourable consistency.   
5. Taste and season with salt.
6. Chill at least three hours for most refreshing flavor. 

You will need a blender or an immersion blender for this recipe.  If you do not own either, I would recommend an immersion blender with a small bowl attachment as the most versatile investment.  You can puree hot or cold soups, mix pesto, create smoothie concoctions and even smooth out a lumpy gravy.

Easter Leftovers Ham Salad

That enormous ham is going to make you even happier when the leftovers are transformed into ham salad made extra light with cooked egg.  The classic ham salad made by my mother's good friend, Tish, inspred me to create this recipe. We especially loved the dill pickle flavor with the salty ham in her version and paid homage to it here.

Ham salad attends formal events and Spring tea parties on toast points garnished with olives, pickled jalepeños, cocktail onions, capers or dill pickle slices.  Or take it to the office as a sandwich spread that will bring joy to your midday break.   At home it makes a natural side, served on baguette slices, to pea soup made from the ham bone.

No matter how much or how little ham salad you'd like to make, the master recipe will guide you.  You are not seeing double; the recipe calls for two mustards, prepared Dijon mustard and dry mustard powder.  The mustard powder provides a little extra kick.  If you do not have any, add extra prepared Dijon mustard. 

Master Recipe for Ham Salad
Ingredients for every 8 ounces of ham (about 2/3 cup cubed ham):
1 egg-- hard boiled or leftover scrambled
8-10 dill pickles chips
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
generous pinch of ground black pepper (about 8 grind rotations)


Method

1. Roughly chop ham, cooked egg and pickles.  
2. Place in a food processor with remaining ingredients. 
3. Pulse 3-4 times and stop to check consistency. Use a small spatula or spoon to wipe down sides so that all the meat is evenly chopped, but not pureed.  
4. Taste the mixture  and add more pickles or mustard to suit you taste. 
5. Pulse a few more times until the mixture is uniform and finely minced. 

No food processor? Use a chef's knife and cutting board to mince the ingredients one by one.  Add to a bowl and mix in the the remaining ingredients.  Takes no time at all. 

Store in a covered container and use within 5 days. 

Little Monties on Brioche French Toast

Turn a Monte Christo sandwich into an Easter or Spring brunch bite.  The classic, shown here, uses our large batch brioche French toast that can be made ahead and frozen.  Get the french toast recipe here.

Slather some rasberry or strawberry jam  onto warmed french toast.  Stack ham slices then swiss cheese on top.   Cut into bite-sized squares and place on a cookie sheet.  Broil to melt the cheese and serve with toothpicks skewered with a fresh raspberry. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Our classic Little Monites feature thinly sliced ham.  To make a vegetaian version, spread french toast with cream cheese, then the jam.  Skip the ham and keep the swiss cheese or try a smoked gouda to approximate the ham and cheese combo.  Served with maple syrup, this version will attract meat lovers too so set some aside for any vegetarians arriving a little late!

Cod Quarter Pounders

Here’s an upscale fish’wich for Fridays.

Thanks to being baked rather than fried, these fish burgers are light but pack a full quarter pound of fish into a serving.  We flavor them with a little dill and oregano and encourage you to try the herbs you like best with cod.  Notice that the amount of extra ingredients in these fish patties is minimal including less than one tablespoon of mayonaise for a whole pound of fish.  That's the secret to a cod burger that tastes like cod.

Make the regular size for burgers or small ones to serve over salad or as an appetizer.

Cod Quarter Pounders
Yield: 4 burgers, 16 sliders or mini-cod cakes

Ingredients
1 pound cod, haddock, pollack (previously frozen is OK)
2 teaspoons mayonnaise (or 1 each mayonnaise and cream)
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
good pinch each of salt, pepper, dill, oregano
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
spray oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.  
2. Chop cod into large chunks.  Place in a food processor and pulse, just a few times to break up fish.  Remove and throw away any skin pieces then pulse one or two more times.  You are looking for a chunky chopped fish rather than pureed fish texture.  
3. Transfer chopped fish to a medium sized bowl.  
4. Add mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper and herbs.  Use a fork to mix these ingredients together.   
5. Stir in most of the bread crumbs.  Fish burgers should be easily formed without sticking to your hands.  Add more bread crumbs if fish is sticking.  
6. Form four patties and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan.  If you have extra bread crumbs you can press the onto the tops of the patties.  
7. Spray a little more oil on top of each patty.  
8. Bake 10-12 minutes until fish is cooked through.  Fish patties are delicate so carefully use a wide spatula to place them on toasted rolls or on top of a green salad. 

Cod burger toppers: avocado, hot sauce mixed with mayonnaise or tartar sauce, pickled jalepeños, dill pickles, lettuce, tomato slices, etc

What’s on the cod in our photo? Spicy Sambal Sauce.  To make your own, mix together 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1-2 teaspoon Sambal (or siracha) , ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard and 1 tablespoon diced celery.

Cooked cod burgers can be kept covered and refrigerated for up to two days.  Reheat on low power in a micorwave.  Cod burgers can also be frozen.  Use within one month for best flavor.  Defrost before gently reheating. 

Snow-Capped Stuffed Mushrooms for Ski Weekends

Make-aheads meals are the skiing cook's best friend.  These hearty sausage-stuffed mushrooms satisfy big appetites after a day on the slopes and can be made using smaller mushrooms for excellent apres ski hors d'ourvres.  The "snow" cap is a sour cream-roux that creates a lush sauce for each mushroom.  Diced jalepeño or freshly chopped herbs contribute a touch of greenery. 

Serve 2-3 medium large mushroom to each diner as a main course with a side of pasta or pair the mushrooms with green beans and mashed turnips.  Make smaller ones to put out a bountiful platterful to sample with a limited edition, specialty winter beer shared with friends.

You can make Snow-Capped Stuffed Mushrooms ahead and store them uncooked or cooked for 2-3 days. Either way, the sausage filling is cooked before it is goes into the mushroom so you have a safe, easily transported dish.  Keep the dish cold if traveling (to a ski house, for example) and refrigerate until ready to bake and serve piping hot.

Snow Capped Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves 4 (or 12 as hot hors d'ouvres)

Ingredients
12 medium mushroom (1 1/2 to 2 inch diameter) or 1 pound small Bella mushrooms
1 pound breakfast sausage
4 ounces cheddar cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon marjoram or oregano

Sour Cream 'Snow' Topping
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sour cream
1 jalepeño, seeded and diced or fresh herbs (marjoram, chives, parsley)

Method

1. If baking mushrooms now, preheat oven to 400˚F. 
2. Saute breakfast sausage in a wide skillet over medium heat.  Drain any fat.  Place drained, cooked sausage meat in a medium sized bowl and allow to cool slightly.
3. While sausage cooks, prepare mushroom caps.  Wipe away any dirt on the mushrooms.  remove stem and if using larger mushrooms, use a spoon to scrape out the gills.  Place mushroom caps in a lightly oiled foil-covered baking pan and set aside.
4. Grate cheddar cheese.  When meat is cool enough to touch it without burning yourself but it is still warm, add cheeses and oregano.  Stir with a wide spoon or spatula to mix thoroughly. 
5. Fill mushrooms caps generously using a spoon and/or your hands to form round tops. Place on prepared baking pan.  If making ahead, stop at this point and cover dish with aluminum foil.  refrigerate until ready to bake, up to 2 days.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400˚F.
7. Bake mushrooms for 10-15 minutes, longer if mushrooms have been refrigerated.  
8. While mushrooms bake, make sour cream 'snow' topping.  Mix sour cream and flour.  Add jalepeños or herbs.  Top each mushroom with a dollop of 'snow' and return to oven for another 6-8 minutes.  Let cool a minute before removing from baking dish to serve.
 

Pizza Dough Potato Knishes

For those who have not tasted a real old fashioned knish, these pastry wrapped bundles of mashed potatoes are baked not fried.  This recipe uses plain pizza dough to create a long roll stuffed with the potato filling rather than individual knishes.  It makes excellent buffet fare, cut into individual serving pieces.  And it can be made ahead, even frozen.  (See below for the trick to frozen mashed potatoes that are not watery when defrosted.) 

If you have a lot of dishes to prepare for a holiday buffet, make this mashed potato in pastry ahead and freeze it.  Defrost and reheat it in the oven (microwaving is not recommended to preserve the lovely crust).

Store-bought or homemade pizza dough is a good, pure substitute for the traditional bread dough casing used to make knishes.  Homemade mashed potatoes made with very little milk or broth and seasoned with salt, pepper and chives mimic the classic potato and onion mixture knish lovers admire.  Substituting chives for sauteed onions makes this version a little lighter and faster to prepare.  I use Yukon Gold potatoes which hold up well while the dough wrapping bakes and have a lot pure potato flavor. 

Pizza Dough Potato Knishes
Yield: 2 knish loaves, serves 10-12 people

Ingredients
1 recipe pizza dough (store bought is fine)
8-9 medium potatoes
1/2-2/3 cup milk or broth, warmed
potato flakes*
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried chives (use 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/4 black pepper

Method

1. Remove pizza dough from refrigerator  and bring to room temperature while making mashed potatoes.
2. Peel potatoes.
3. Place potatoes in a large pot with water.  Water should be at least 2 inches over height of potatoes. Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Cook potatoes, loosely covered until tender.  This will take 25-40 minutes. 
4. When potatoes are very tender, drain the water and place pot on a heat resistant surface.  Let the potatoes rest, uncovered, a few minutes while some steam (and moisture escapes).  
5. Use a masher to mash potatoes.  You may also use a ricer for this step.  
6. Once potatoes are mashed, add warmed milk or broth in small batches.  Your goal is to have a fairly thick potato mixture.  If you are freezing the knish loaf and using potato flakes, add them at this stage.
7. Stir in butter, salt, pepper and chives. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.
8. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
9. While the potatoes cool a bit, roll out dough.  You will have enough ingredients to make two potato loaves.  
10. Cut dough in half lengthwise and place cooled potatoes down center of each.  
11. Fold the sides up and create a seam.  Use a bit of water to seal the seam.  
12. Seal the edge of the loaves by pinching the dough together and turning under, towards the center seam.  
13. Place knish loaves seam side down on an un-greased baking sheet.  
14. Using a sharp knife, score the loaves just through the dough layer to mark servings.  This will make it easy to slice the loaves into serving sized pieces without pushing out the potatoes.
15. Bake the knish loaves at 400˚F for 15-20 minutes, until dough is completely cooked and browning.  
16. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.  

Three or more thinner rolls can be made with the same amount of dough and potato filling.  These make great finger food.

*The Trick to Freezing Mashed Potatoes
I've searched online to find out if this trick is generally known and was surprised to find so few references.  I credit Arthur Schwartz for teaching me how to handle freezing mashed potatoes.  (His  fabulous and authentic knish recipe in Jewish Home Cooking is the basis for this faster recipe.) The secret to freezing mashed potatoes is powdered potato flakes.  The flakes absorb excess water from the fresh potatoes and prevent a soggy knish.  Adding potato flakes will also create a mashed potato that will "stand up" a bit more.   For this recipe, add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup potato flakes.  Be sure to look for a pure potato product in the ingredients list on the box, NOT instant mashed potatoes. 

French Pizza

Not French bread pizza, French Pizza!  Oil-cured black olives, tiny strips of anchovy, ripe roasted tomatoes top a slab of puff pastry smeared with soft cheeses.  If, like me,  you cannot get to Nice in the south of France this summer, get a taste with this beachside favorite picked up the local patisserie. 

French Pizza
Makes one medium pizza that serves 4 for lunch, 8-9 as an appertizer

Ingredients
one sheet puff pastry (10" X 15")
egg wash*
4-6 ounces soft cheese (combo of goat cheese, blue cheese, cream cheese)
3-4 medium tomatoes (or 8-9 small tomatoes)
1/4 cup oil cured olives
optional: anchovies, extra grated cheese like Parmesan, Asiago or even Gruyere

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.  
2. Place defrosted puff pastry sheet on a cookie sheet.
3. Using a butter knife, cut a strip about 1/3-1/2 inch wide from the long sides of the sheet.  Brush the long edges with egg wash and place the strip on top to form an edge.  Do the same with the shorter sides of the pastry.  
4. Spread a thin layer of the cheese on the interior of the puff pastry.
5. Slice the tomatoes no thinner than 1/4 inch and lay out over the cheese.  If using small tomatoes, cut them in half and arrange on top of the cheese.  (Note: if using roma or plum tomatoes, you may roast them in a 400˚F oven for 10-12 minutes before topping the pizza.)
6. Finish the pizza by arranging olives and anchoives between the tomatoes.
7. Brush the raised edges of the pizza with more egg wash. 
8. Bake pizza at 400˚F for 15 minutes until the crust turns golden brown.  
9. Optional: Grate some hard cheese over the pizza to finish. 

Enjoy French Pizza right out of the oven or room temperature as a light lunch or hearty first course over salad greens.

 * an egg wash will "glue" the pastry to itself and create a nice shine to the pizza edges.  Mix a beaten egg with a few tablespoons of water to create an egg wash.  If you do not want to use an egg, a light brushing of water will help stick the strips of pastry to the base.