Raspberry Almond Cream Tart

Summer time provides so many delicious fruit options

for dessert, sometimes it is hard to choose.

Raspberries are one of my favorite berries, and I think the

addition of raspberries makes any dessert a bit more elegant.

Before baking, the chilled sweet tart crust was filled with a layer

of raspberry jam.  Then carefully the almond cream a.k.a frangipane, was spread

over the jam and baked. 

The tart must be completely cooled before adding the topping 

of another layer of raspberry jam and the fresh berries in concentric circles,

adorning the top. 

If preparing many hours ahead of serving, keep cool in the refrigerator, just remove 

at least an hour ahead of serving. 

May be served with a heaping dollop of fresh whip cream.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

 

Polish Salads

Christmas Eve - Polish - 2020

Cucumber, sour cream and dill salad.

This salad is light and cool, and refreshing!

Wonderful with the heavy foods that are usually on 

a Polish menu. 

Also, serves beautifully next to the potato pierogi.

Shredded carrot salad.

In the winter months of cold countries, they find a variety of ways

to use there root vegetables, especially to make them refreshing,

not cooked and heavy. 

Thank you to my sister-in-laws for making these contributions to our 

festive Christmas Eve around the world tradition. 

As Always,
ENJOY!

 

Polish Poppyseed Loaf

Christmas Eve - Polish - 2020

Slice the loaf, and plate the pieces with the cut edge up, 

to show off the beautiful pinwheel interior of the 

poppyseed filling.

A dark brown exterior ensures that the layers

of the interior are cooked through.

blending the filling of soaked raisins, 

poppyseed and an eggwhite meringue.

A sweet dough is used for the loaf.

Roll out the dough and place on a large sheet of plastic wrap. 

This aids in the rolling and wrapping process.

Spread the filling leaving a boarder of dough at the edges

to seal the dough and enclose the filling. 

Place filled loafs on parchment paper to rise.

Once the loaves are puffy, not doubled, they are ready

for the oven.

These can be baked a day ahead if necessary. 

Once cooled wrap in plastic.  They should be completely cool before slicing. 

After a heavy meal, this is the perfect dessert, lightly sweet and not too heavy.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee.

As Always,

ENJOY!

 

Polish Potato and Cheese Pierogi

Christmas Eve - Polish - 2020

Pierogi is another fun, super delicious, and extremely 

classic Polish dish.

Mix the potatoes, onions, and cheese together

for the filling.

Take small spoonfuls to fill the 

dough rounds, and pinch closed into 

half moon shapes.

Drop into boiling water and wait for  them to rise 

to surface to remove and drain. 

Put cooked pierogi in hot skillet to brown

on both sides.

This is a fun dish to prepare when you have a group of people. 

Everyone can help with one step of the process, and it makes 

the preparation and cooking get done much quicker!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

 

Polish Stuffed Cabbage

Christmas Eve this year -  Polish - 2020

 Classic Polish Dishes, are what graced our Christmas Eve table this year!

Thank you to my sister-in-law Jill for creating these fabulous 

stuffed cabbage.

Shrimp Bisque

 Simplicity is the defining factor here.  Some soups we want to be hearty and loaded

with ingredients, in a way which makes it the whole meal

For other soups such as a bisque, its smooth texture but rich complexity, gives a tantalizing taste

of what may come with the rest of the meal.

While dining at restaurants if I see the menu has a shrimp, lobster, or crab bisque, I order it!

It is one of my favorite ways to start a meal.  It goes down easily, pairs nicely with a cocktail

or white wine, and you don't feel too full when you are finished to enjoy the rest of your meal.

The next time you prepare shrimp, crab, or lobster (or any fish for that matter) 

save the shells or bones, and freeze them. At a later date you can create a lovely 

fish stock(adding fennel to fish stock is one of my favorite flavor enhancers).

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Oysters at Home

What a great way to ring in the new year! 

Oysters, nesting in shaved ice with mignonette sauce

and a fine bottle of Italian dry white wine.....perfection!

My son and I took turns opening all the oysters.

When having oysters at home, there are many layers of preparation, 

it gives a greater appreciation to simply getting oysters in a restaurant.

Nesting the oyster in foil, so they won't tip and lose their juice, 

as you continue opening really helps.

Once they are all opened you can fill your large platter with shaved ice

( I used my food processor to shave the ice)

Nest the oyster in the ice and add your lemon wedges and sauce. 

Serve with chilled white wine or champagne.

As Always,

ENJOY!

 

Shakshuka with Avocado

 Such a fun dish to prepare and eat!

To me this is a shared dish, so whether with my son or husband, 

we get to sit close together at the table scooping eggs and dipping bread 

in to the aromatic spicy sauce. 

Topped with cheese and fresh herbs, the addition of avocado 

just makes it seem a bit more decadent, and avocado is so good with everything, 

especially eggs.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Salt Rising Bread

Just out of the oven!  I continue to test new recipes and methods

for this incredible childhood favorite. 

Unlike sourdough you have to start from scratch with every batch.

The conditions must be exact to grow the bacteria which makes this bread so unique.

The firm tight crumb on this bread helps give it a unique

dense texture and weight.

In my opinion, the best way to eat this bread is toasted with lots of butter!

It also makes excellent grilled cheese sandwiches.

As Always,

ENJOY!

 

Feta-Za'atar Flatbread with Charred Eggplant Dip

Hot and ready to serve.

Put this on the table and watch them disappear!

The feta cheese stuffed in the middle, is melted and so yummy!

Once it is turned over in your hot cast iron pan, 

then brush with the olive oil and Za'atar mixture.

 Serve this smoky, slightly spicy eggplant dip with the flatbread.

This flatbread has become a family favorite!

Thank you Claire Saffitz for this cookbook recipe.

From one Dessert Person to another!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Honey Can

 A blast from the past!  I just had to share this photo! 

I was at my mom's house, and I came across this old honey can.  

This is the way my mom bought honey when we grew up.  A huge can, sealed on top, that

had to be carefully can openered off! 

This can dates back to the early 1970's when my mom was making lots of 

peanut butter and honey sandwiches for all 6 kids for our lunches. 

Funny how back then, when "Organic"wasn't a trend yet, that the can 

advertises itself as organic!  

Mom, thanks for all the love you put in to making so many

peanut butter and honey sandwiches! Peanut butter and honey 

is the only pb sandwich for me!!

As Always,
ENJOY!

Halvah with Pistachio

 Halvah is a fudge made from tahini that is served in the 

Middle East.  You can top the halvah with pistachios, as I did here, or 

top with almonds, dried fruits, or even mix in chocolate.  

Cut into bite sized pieces and you have got a fabulous ethnic dessert 

to serve with your next mideastern meal.  

I prepared this halvah to go into the halvah blondies, a small portion with no nuts.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Rosemary Focaccia

 Focaccia, one of the Italian flat breads is so 

versatile.  You can add a topping, or leave plain. You can serve it 

with soup, use it for dunking, make it into a sandwich, or just simply

eat it as a snack!

There are many focaccia recipes and they come from the different regions of Italy.

All with there own little variations.  This beautiful focaccia has a wonderful texture, thanks to 

the extended time in the mixer. 

Thank you to Claire Saffitz for this cookbook recipe. 

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Loaded Corn Bread

 Cornbread to me is comfort food!

This recipe has some extras added in to elevate the simple cornbread recipe 

to something really special to serve with your next bowl of chili!

What cornbread wouldn't be more tasty by adding bacon, scallions, jalapeno chile,

grilled corn kernels, a bit of cayenne and cilantro.

Instead of creating one large skillet size loaf, I made this recipe into muffins. 

Much easier to serve, and the interior stays most longer. 

Bake a double batch and put some in the freezer to pair

at another time with huevos rancheros!

Thank you Claire Saffitz for this cookbook recipe.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Salted Halvah Blondies

 Blondies are one of my favorite cookies!!!

I have a fantastic recipe that I use all the time, but when I saw this 

recipe, it was a must try!

I made the Halvah myself, with a couple of jars of tahini. 

Just eating the halvah with nut toppings was so yummy, I knew adding 

the plain halvah to the cookies would make them extraordinary! 

It brings the basic american blondie to a new level of exotic!

Thank you Claire Saffitz for sharing this recipe in your cookbook!

From one Dessert Person to another!

As Alway,

ENJOY!

Herb and Citrus Butter

This is my favorite topping for grilled fish 

or any thick cut fish steak, such as swordfish, 

shark, or tuna.

Softened butter blended with zest of orange, lemon and lime.

Add in chopped fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley, mint,

dill, fennel greens, etc. and then some juice of lemon, orange and lime. 

Slowly blend together and add a huge dollop on top of fish.

As Always,
ENJOY!

 

Preparing Kumquats

I admit, you have to have a lot of patience when preparing

kumquats for jam making or adding to any salad or fruit dish.

Thinly slicing and de-seeding takes time.

 To make your jam with natural pectin, add all the seeds 

you  removed from the kumquats to a cheesecloth pouch, secured with kitchen twine

at the top.  Also add a few lemon slices and soak overnight.  

The natural pectin from the seeds and lemons, because of the overnight soaking, releases

once you start cooking the mixture.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Spiced Kumquat Cranberry Preserves

 What a blessing to have a friend with a huge kumquat tree!

This year I made a few new variations of kumquat jam, 

this being one of them.  The cranberries and spices giving it great

depth in flavor.  Perefect for this fall and my Thanksgiving table. 

Jam and preserves can be used beyond the traditional toast slice and pbj sandwich. 

By creating a multi-fruit, or multi-flavor jam, you can use it as a sauce or spread 

with meats like pork, chicken and turkey.  Enhance a cheese or Charcuterie board, add

 it to a grilled cheese sandwich or other meat sandwich.... the ideas are left to 

your imagination. 

As Always,

ENJOY!

Malted Forever Brownies

Everyone has flavor preferences, and one of mine is malt!

When I saw this recipe, I could not wait to try it!

 Baking the brownies in a foil or parchment lined pan

allows you to remove the brownies, once cooled, and cut in to perfect 

little bite sized squares, without dragging a knife through them in a pan. 

Thank you Claire Saffitz for sharing this recipe in your cookbook!

From one Dessert Person to another!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

 It is that time of year to capture all of summer harvest to enjoy during the winter. 

When I see rhubarb in the store, I can't resist to purchase some.  It has such a 

short window of availability. 

 Strawberries have also just come in season, so naturally they are the perfect combo. 

When these fruits are cooking together, I just love the color they create in they pot, and 

the thickness the rhubarb adds to the overall jam. 

Such a complimentary combination of sweet and tart!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Kale Salad with Almonds

Assemble the salad and add dressing.

 Once your salad is in your serving bowl, add the grated 

parmigiano reggiano cheese. 

This beautiful kale salad is full of flavor! 

Toasted chopped almonds, chopped dried cranberries, cilantro, avocado, 

and topped with a sweet and spicy dressing. 

This salad is a meal, filling and nutritious! 

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Shrimp Summer Salad

 This delicious Asian inspired shrimp summer salad, 

will help you get out of the kitchen and enjoy the outdoors

when the temperature rises and you don't want to cook. 

The base of this salad is cabbage, then add what you like best,

carrots, green onions, cilantro, radishes, sesame seeds and almond slices, 

just to name a few. 

Finish with an Asian inspired dressing, sesame oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, 

red pepper flakes, a dash of sugar and salt, ginger, chinese five spice, etc. 

The shrimp can be baked ahead to perfect crispiness, and the salad can 

be shredded, just not dressed until ready to serve. 

Assemble the salad and top with crunchy shrimp.  Serve.

As Always,

ENJOY! 

Summer Fruit Crisp

 My new favorite fruit combination for the summer.

Apricot, Raspberry and Peach!

Use fresh or Frozen fruit, here I used frozen raspberries, the apricots and peaches were fresh. 

Without the crumb topping on, you can already see how beautiful this crisp will turn out! 

The sweet and tart fruit combo plus the topping which I add oats to, lends to a nice

crunch and balance of flavor and texture. 

Once baked and somewhat cooled, serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

As Always,

ENJOY!

Multigrain and Seed Bread

 

Danish style bread, hearty and loaded with goodness. 

A combination  of grains and seeds that make a fabulous sandwich

or just simply a glorious piece of toast!!

As Always,
ENJOY!

Kumquat Preserves

 

Little orange jewels suspended in delicately flavored jam. 

Ready to be a treat on a charcuterie board with cheese, or atop 

a beautiful roast pork!

As Always,

ENJOY!