Bacon wrapped, bleu cheese filled, pitted dates

Ingredients:
1 lb bacon
40 pitted dates
2/3 c crumbled blue cheese

Instructions.

Preheat oven to  400°

1. Cut bacon strips into halves (you may need more than a pound if its think cut - you need twenty full length bacon strips total.) In a large skillet, cook bacon in batches over medium heat until partially cooked but not crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; keep warm.

2. Carefully cut a slit in the center of each date; fill with blue cheese. Wrap a bacon piece around each stuffed date; secure with wooden toothpicks.

3. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bacon is crisp. 

Yield: 40 pieces

I had these first at a local restaurant, the Federal Taphouse. They call them, "Devil on Horseback". I call them better than sex.

Cheese, Onion & Sweet Pepper Cornbread

Ingredients:

Topping
1 c onion - diced into 1/4" pieces
1 c sweet green pepper - diced into 1/4" pieces
olive oil for sautéing

Cornbread - see recipe here. Replace black beans with onion & pepper topping.

Instructions. Topping instructions
1. heat a skillet on high heat. When hot add a coating of olive oil.
2. Immediately add onions & peppers
3. Saute on high until onions begin to brown and peppers are softened.
4. Remove from heat.

Follow corn bread recipe instructions using onions & peppers in place of black beans.

Serve with pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole, or fajita filling.

Cranberry barbeque chicken dip

Ingredients:
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 bottle chili sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T coarse brown mustard
1 t red pepper flakes
1 T cider vinegar
4 c cooked chicken, shredded
2 pkg Neufchatel cheese, softened
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Small bunch of green onions cut up for garnish.

2 - 8" diameter oven safe serving bowls or a single 9x13 glass casserole dish

Instructions.

Preheat oven to 350° F

Lightly oil dishes with olive oil. Evenly divide Neufchatel cheese between the dishes and press out evenly on the bottom (put some oil on your fingers to make this easy.) Cover with a light layer of shredded Monterey jack. Set aside.

Put cranberry sauce, chili sauce, worschesher sauce, mustard, red pepper, and vinegar in a food processor. Pulse to combine. You want the cranberries to still have some texture, so don't puree.

Put chicken in a large bowl. Spoon about 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce over it and stir well. Keep adding a few spoonfuls until all of the chicken is coated and the mixture holds together. Add a bit more sauce along with about 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack and mix just until combined.

Spoon an even layer of chicken mixture into the casserole dishes. Level with the back of a spoon.

Coat with the remaining shredded Monterey jack cheese.

Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove and top with green onions.

Serve immediately with snack crackers.

Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers (roasted, skinned and diced)
• 1.5 cups (one 15 oz. can) cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained if canned (equals 1/2 c dry beans soaked overnight and cooked for 45-90 minutes)
• 2-3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup raw tahini (sesame paste)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (or less if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions.

• 1. If you are anal, skin the chickpeas. It will take a while. You might start to curse, or give up altogether.
  2. Roast red peppers directly over burner on stove until blackened on all sides. Put in a paper bag for 10 minutes. Peel off skin, dice into 1/8" pieces
  3. In a food processor, blend the garbanzo beans and garlic cloves very well. Add the tahini, lemon juice, salt, broth and oil and process until fully emulsified and creamy. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to ten days. For best results, allow to warm to room temperature before serving.
  4. Add 1/2 of the peppers to the food processor and blend (peppers should still be visible.)
  5. Serve hummus in a bowl and garnish on top with the other 1/2 of the peppers.

Moroccan Style Sausage Rolls & Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

• 3 puff pastry sheets
• 1½ lb ground beef (use lamb if you can afford it)
• 2½T sundried cranberries
• 1½t ground coriander
• 1½t ground cumin
• 1T of lemon juice
• 1/4lb fresh spinach leaves, chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 egg lightly beaten with 2T cold water (separate from above)

Instructions.

1. Remove the pastry from the freezer to defrost
2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F
3. Put the chopped herbs and spinach, and spices in a bowl and blend well.
4. Put the ground meat into the bowl and mix by band until well blended
5. Add 2 beaten eggs and mix through
6. Split the mixture into three parts
7. One by one, layout each sheet of pastry on a lightly floured surface, rolling slightly to fix any splits and to make the pastry even.
8. Dab some of the egg/water mixture for about 1" along one edge.
9. Lay out 1/3 of the meat mixture along the opposit edge of the pastry and then roll the pastry up and over into a log, sealing with the egg dabbed edge.
10. Cut into 1" pieces
11. Put the pieces onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with the egg/water mixture to glaze
12. Bake for 30 minutes
13. Remove from the oven and cool
14. Serve with Red Pepper Hummus

Savory corn pancakes with refried beans & salsa

Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 c corn flour
1 c corn meal
1/2 c rice flour
2 t baking powder
2 t cumin
2 t chili powder
1 t sugar
1 1/2 c skim milk
2 eggs

Refried Beans
Ingredients:
1/2 lb black beans
1/2 lb navy beans
1 lg yellow onion sliced thinly
1 green pepper chopped into 1/4" dice
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
1/2 c red wine
4 beef bullion cubes
1 1/2 c boiling water

Instructions.
Preparing beans:
Soak beans in water for 24 hours rinsing every 8 hours. Keep covered with water.

Cook beans in a crock pot with water for 4-6 hours. Drain excess water and put beans in a food processor and process into a coarse paste (do this in batches).

Heat a large skillet add olive oil and saute onions until translucent. Add peppers and continue cooking. Add cumin and chili powder. Deglaze with red wine a reduce heat. Add beans and fold in onions & peppers.

Dissolve bullion in water. Add to bean mixture as needed to smooth it out. Set aside.

To serve put beans in a dish, coat top with grated cheese and microwave for a couple minutes to melt cheese.

Preparing pancakes:
Put dry ingredients in a large bowl and blend thoroughly.

In a separate bowl whisk milk and eggs. Add milk and eggs to dry ingredients and whisk.

Heat a griddle or skillet. Spray with oil. Pour 1/8-1/4 c of pancake mixture onto skillet. Allow to cook. Check edges and flip when brown. When cooked remove and repeat for the rest of the batter.

How to serve:
Place pancake on a plate. Top with several tablespoons of bean mixture. Top with salsa.

Spanokopita Swirls with Skordalia

Spanokopita
Ingredients:
1 pkg puff pastry
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
4 oz feta cheese
4 oz cream cheese (Neufchatel) (room temperature)
1 1/2 c fine chiffonade fresh Spinach
Parmesan cheese for rolling

Instructions Preheat oven to 375 F

Line two baking sheets with foil & parchment on top.

Saute onion in olive oil until clear and just starting to caramelize.  Remove from heat and cool.

Blend cream cheese and feta in a food processor.  Add onion. Set aside.

Coat rolling surface with a light layer of Parmesan cheese.  Layout a sheet of puff pastry dough. Coat lightly to prevent rolling pin from sticking and roll until even - 1/8" - 3/16" thick.

Spread 1/2 of cheese mixture evenly, leaving 1/2" at one edge for sealing later.

Spread 1/2 of spinach evenly, again leaving 1/2" at one edge for sealing.

Start rolling from edge opposite the 1/2" uncoated edge.  Keep the roll tight and even.
Roll until the 1/2" edge is left.  Wet that 1/2" edge with water and finish rolling, sealing the roll.

Repeat for other sheet of pastry.

Place both rolls in the freezer on a tray with the seam edge down for 10-20 minutes.

Remove from freezer and slide into 1/2" thick disks with a serrated knife and place on covered baking sheets.

Bake for 10-20 minutes until pastry puffs and browns.

Skordalia
Ingredients:
4-5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
6-10 cloves of garlic, pressed with a garlic press
1 c olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice


Instructions.
Boil potatoes in water until tender, drain.

Mash with a potato masher or ricer to a coarse texture.

Blend in garlic.

Put mixture in a food processor.  Pulse, slowly adding olive oil and lemon juice.  Mixture should remain coarse, but be well homogenized by pulsing.

Serve warm in a bowl with Spanokopita.

Can be served as a potato side dish as well.

Cremini with Hummus and Feta

24 oz Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed (save stems)
4 oz Feta
1 lg Yellow onion Caramelized
1 c  red pepper or onion Hummus
Olive oil

Preheat oven on broil. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Chop mushroom stems, saute and cool then blend into hummus.

Coat each mushroom lightly with Olive oil and place on baking sheet.

Spoon 1 t of hummus mixture into each mushroom. Place a small amount of caramelized onion on top. Place a few pieces of Feta cheese on top.

Place baking sheet in the oven to broil for about 5 minutes until cheese browns. Reduce heat and to 375 and bakecfor another 10 minutes until mushrooms are heated through.

Remove and serve.

Puff Pastry Cheese Straws & Sweet-Savory Dipping Sauce

Puff Pastry Cheese Straws

Ingredients
1 pkg Puff Pastry (two sheets)
1/2 c Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Sweet-Savory Sauce

Ingredients
2 c sugar
1 c water
1 c red wine
1 t oregano
1/2 t rosemary
1 t smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare two baking sheets with a layer of  aluminum foil covered by parchment paper.

Thaw puff pastry per package instructions. Separate sheets. Coat counter or table top with parmesan cheese and unfold one sheet of pastry on it. Lightly cover the top of the pastry sheet with more parmesan cheese. Roll out to about 1/8" thickness. With a pizza wheel or long knife, slice the pastry into 1/2" wide strips. Twist each strip 6-8 times, fold in half and place on a baking sheet leaving about 1/2" between each strip.

Bake each sheet for 10-12 minutes until puffed and the cheese is browned. Remove from oven and cool.

In a large saucepan, put sugar in the pan over medium-high heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar melts completely.  Continue heating to caramelize the sugar to a mahogany brown color. Just when the first puffs of smoke start, remove from heat and CAREFULLY add 1/2 c water. THIS WILL BOIL AND SPLATTER THE HOT SUGAR. BE VERY CAREFUL! When you can safely begin whisking again, stir all of the water into the sugar.  Put the pan back on the stove to heat, whisking constantly.  When the mixture returns to a simmer, add the red wine and spices.  Simmer to reduce slightly for 20 minutes or so.

Serve both the pastries and sauce together. To serve, put a couple Cheese Straws on a small plate and drizzle sauce over them.

Bleu Cheese & Pear Puff Pastry Bites

Ingredients

1 lg red onion - sliced into quarters then thin sliced
2 lg Red d'Anjou pears - peeled, cored and diced into 1/4" cubes
1 pkg puff pastry
1 1/2 T fresh thyme leaves
2 T olive oil
4 oz bleu cheese, crumbled
1/2 c + 1/2 c apple wine (I prefer Springgate Vineyard's Golden Apple Wine)

Heat skillet and add olive oil.  Saute onions until browned.  Add thyme and saute until fragrant.

Deglaze with 1/2 c apple wine making sure to scrape browned onion layer from pan.

Add diced pears and blend, heating.

Add other 1/2 c apple wine and gently heat the entire mixture for a few minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool before using.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare two baking sheets adding a layer of parchment paper.

Gently roll out puff pastry per the package instructions.  Cut with a 1 1/2" diameter cutter or suitable cup or glass.  This should yield about 48 circles.  Place circles onto baking sheets.

Put about 1 t of pear/onion mixture on each circle.  Follow by a bit of the crumbled bleu cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until puff pastry is cooked through.

Serve and enjoy!

Bacon Bleu Cheeseburger Potato Skins

10 lb medium Russet potatoes
1 lb ground beef
1 lb bacon slices
1 c chopped onion
1 c chopped green pepper
1 c Chambourcin or other rich red wine
8 oz bleu cheese
8 oz gouda or other melting cheese

Wash and pierce the potatoes.  Place on a cooking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

While the potatoes bake,  saute onions and peppers in olive oil until soft deglaze with Merlot and cook until the wine is reduced.  Set aside mixture in a bowl and add ground beef to the pan.  Brown beef. When done, add onion & peppers to the mixture.  Set aside to cool.

Crumble bleu cheese into small pieces.  Dice Gouda into small pieces.

Bake or fry bacon until done.  Cool & crumble or chop into pieces.

When potatoes are cool, slice each into thirds lengthwise.  Set aside the middle third - it will not be used for this recipe.  Scoop out all but 1/4" of the potato center from each of the other thirds making a cavity for filling.

Place parchment paper on two baking sheets.  Brush surface with olive oil.  Place potato sections open side down on the paper.  Brush or spray the back sides with olive oil.  Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes until edges begin to brown.  Cool.

To assemble, place a tablespoon of ground meat in the potato cavity.  Sprinkle some of the bleu cheese and gouda pieces on top. Then add some of the bacon pieces.  Repeat for all of the potato skins.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until cheese melts and potatoes heated through.

Chicken, Cremini & Asparagus Alfredo Dip

Ingredients
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped sweet green pepper
2 T + 2 T olive oil
1/2 t dry rosemary
1 t oregano
2 x 1 c Chamborcin or Merlot
1/2 lb Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into 1/8" slices

1/2 large chicken breast cut into 1/2" strips.

4 T unsalted butter
4 T flour
1/2 T dry rosemary
1/2 T oregano
1 1/2 c skim milk
1 c heavy cream
1 1/2 c grated Parmesan (plus more to coat the top of the casserole dish)

Preheat oven to 375.  Butter bottom and sides of a large casserole dish.

Place an oven-safe saute pan on high heat and add olive oil.  Add onions and peppers.  Saute until onions are clear.  Add rosemary and oregano and continue to stir.  Add Chamborcin to deglaze.  Simmer until liquid is evaporated.  Put mixture in a bowl and return saute pan to heat.  Add chicken strips browning on both sides.  Add second cup of Chamborcin, sprinkle with a bit more rosemary and oregano and put the pan in the oven to braise for 30 minutes.

Place a large sauce pan on medium heat. Add 4 T butter and 4 T flour.  Heat and mix to make a rue. Continue to heat until the rue is a pale tan color.  Add skim milk, cream, oregano and rosemary.  Stir with a whisk to blend well.  Continue to whisk and heat until bubbles form on the edges and sauce begins to thicken. Add Parmesan and whisk well heating and whisking until the sauce is creamy and thick.  Remove from heat.

Remove chicken from the oven and remove chicken pieces to a cutting board to cook. (Leave the oven on - we still need it!) Put saute pan back on the stove on high heat and add bowl of onion & pepper mixture.  Reduce liquid until gone again.  Push the vegetable mixture to the side and add the sliced mushrooms.  Suate until mushrooms lose their liquid. Continue to heat and reduce the liquid to a minimum.  Put the vegetable and mushroom mixture into a large bowl and set aside.

On the cutting board, shred all of the cooled chicken into small pieces.  Add this to the large bowl with the vegetables and mushrooms.  Add the Alfredo sauce as well and fold the mixture together.  Now place the mixture in the casserole dish, leveling with the back of a spoon.  Coat the top of the mixture liberally with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes at 375.

Hasselback Salami

 





Ingredients
1 lg salami

2 c orange marmalade
1 1/2 c Dijon mustard
4 T bourbon

3 T molasses
4 T ketchup

1 T ground Cayene pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F

Slice salami on a bias into 1/8" cuts leaving about 1/4" on the bottom (or set between two chopsticks and use them to stop each cut.)

In a sauce pan, mix remaining ingredients, whisking until well blended. Allow to come to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool.

Place salami in an oven-safe casserole dish. Pour sauce over top, slowly working in between each cut. Drizzle remainder over the whole salami coating all exposed surfaces.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes, basting every 10-15 minutes with pan juices/sauce.

Decant leftover sauce into a dish to serve along with assorted crackers & cheeses.

Based on recipe from http://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/drunken-hassleback-salami/

Cheddar Bacon Dip

24 oz (2 bottles) dark beer
8 oz neufchatel cheese diced in 1/2" cubes
24 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1 bunch green onions
12 oz bacon cooked and diced
6 T cornstarch

Clean onions, dice white parts and keep separate. Dice firm part of greens and keep separate.  Saute white parts until translucent.

Put a few tablespoons of chopped bacon aside with diced green onion for garnish. 

Put remaining bacon, sauteed onion and grated cheese in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with cornstarch. Add diced Neufchatel and coat completely.

In a large saucepan heat beer just below boiling. Slowly add cheese mixture, whisking to melt and blend thoroughly before adding the next batch of cheese. Whisk constantly. When all cheese us added heat and whisk creamy.  Serve with crackers and/or bread in a warmed dish with garnish on top.

Two-Cheese Gourgeres

1 ½ c plus 2 T water

½ c whole milk

8 T unsalted butter

1 t salt

120 g white rice flour

150 g gluten-free corn flour* (Bob’s Red Mill)

2 t mustard powder

1 ½ t minced rosemary

½ t freshly ground black pepper

6 eggs plus 2 egg whites (room temperature)

80 g strongly flavored bleu cheese, crumbled

140 g extra sharp cheddar, grated

Preheat oven to 425º F with a rack in the middle position.

Spray two sheet pans with cooking spray, then cover with parchment paper.

1.     Combine water, milk, butter and salt in a 2 quart heavy saucepan. Heat on medium-low, and bring the mixture to a boil. (The butter should melt before it boils.)

2.     Meanwhile whisk the flours, mustard powder, rosemary, and pepper for about 30 seconds to aerate and break up any clumps. Set aside. In a glass measure whisk the eggs to blend. Set aside.

3.     Once the water mixture has just started to boil, dump all of the flour mixture in at once. Stir the mixture with a heat proof spatula until the flour is mostly incorporated. Use the spatula to smear the mixture across the bottom of the pan in a stirring fashion, continuously for 3 to 4 minutes. A thin film of flour will have build up on the bottom of the pan.

4.     Transfer the dough to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process for 15 to 20 seconds to cool slightly. With the processor running add the eggs through the feed tube in a stream over about 15 seconds. Stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cheese. Process for about 45 seconds, until cheese is fully incorporated and the dough has formed a smooth paste.

5.     Transfer the paste to a piping bag, with a ½-inch diameter round nozzle. Pipe the dough into 1 ¼-inch circles about ¾-inch high, making sure to leave about 1 inch between gougeres. Use a dampened spoon or fingertip to smooth out the peaks to prevent burning.

6.     Bake 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375º F and bake an additional 18 to 20 minutes. The puffs should be a very deep golden brown, or they will deflate upon cooling. Turn oven off. Use a wooden spoon to hold oven door open a crack. Wait 20 to 25 minutes to allow puffs to dry a bit, then serve warm.

Serve with Hot Mustard