Craisin-Oatmeal Scones

Ingredients
2 c flour
2 c rolled oats
1 T baking powder
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 c craisins dried cranberries
1/2 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 T heavy cream

coarse Turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

1. Put dry ingredients into a food processor (I use a plastic dough blade) and pulse to mix.

2. Add wet ingredients and mix just until everything is incorporated

3. The dough will be sticky. Turn out directly onto the baking sheet. Using wet hands, form into a rectangle about 8" wide and 10" long about 1/2-3/4" thick.

4. Score in half the long dimension and in even fourths along the narrow dimension. You should have eight smaller rectangles. Now score each into two triangles.

5. Coat top with cream using a pastry brush and then sprinkle the top heavily with a coating of coarse Turbinado sugar

6. Bake for about 20 min, checking for even browning and turning the baking sheet about 1/2 way through.

7. Remove from oven and cut through the scored marks and separate the hot triangles to cool on the baking sheet.

Broccoli & Potato Veggie Patties

Ingredients
3 lbs redskin potatos, washed and cut into 1/2-3/4" cubes (skin on)
2 medium heads of broccoli washed and cut up into bite sized pieces (discard large stems)
2 c shredded monterey jack cheese
1 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
2 T dry onion flakes
2 t Paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 + 1 eggs
1/4 c heavy cream


Directions

Preheat oven to 420 degrees F.

1. Put the cut up potatoes in a large pot and cover with 3" water above. Bring to a boil for 7 to 8 minutes.

2. Add broccoli to the boiling potatoes. Cook for another 7 to 8 minutes more or until both potatoes and broccoli are fork tender. Remove from heat and drain. Set aside. (I actually did this much the night before and it worked fine to stop here.)

3. Whisk 4 eggs in a bowl. Put potatoes, broccoli, cheeses, onion flakes, Paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mash and blend ingredients, leaving some chunks of potato and broccoli. Fold in whisked eggs.

4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Either hand form or use a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter and form individual patties of the potato-broccoli mixture about 3/4 - 1" thick. Complete this process for all of the mixture.

5. In a separate small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and heavy cream. Use a pastry brush to coat each patty then sprinkle a light coating of Parmesan cheese to garnish.

6. Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Check for uneven browning and rotate sheets as needed. Continue baking until the Parmesan cheese on top has browned lightly.

7. Remove from oven and serve.

Derived from a recipe at http://femmefraiche.com/broccoli-and-potato-vegetable-medallions/

Biscuits

Ingredients
2 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2  t cream of tartar
2 T sugar
1/2 c shortening
2/3 c milk

Optional
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, in 1/16" slices

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Baking sheet (I cover mine with foil for easy cleanup.)

Blend dry ingredients.

Add shortening and blend with a pastry blender until it looks like coarse bread crumbs. 

Make a well in the center.

Add the milk and mix just until it comes together, folding with a spatula.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Coat top with a bit of flour. Flatten with your hands to an 8x10" rectangle. Fold in half and pat back to an 8"x10" rectangle. Repeat coating with flour, folding, and reshaping to a rectangle several times. (This makes for flaky biscuits.) 

Optionally you can add slices of butter between layers for extra buttery layers.

Flatten the dough into a 3/4" thick layer. Cut with a 2 1/2" diameter biscuit cutter and place touching together. Reform remaining dough and continue cutting I til done.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and browned.

(This is my tweaked version of 'Biscuits Supreme' from an ancient copy of the Betty Crocker cookbook...)

Plum Galette

(photo copyright Jay Mumper)

Crust Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 ounces of unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks, 10 Tbsp, 137g), cut into cubes
1/4 cup (57 ml) sour cream
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
1 teaspoon cream for egg wash
Coarse sugar for sprinkling (I used Turbinado sugar)

Filling Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 lb red plums, pitted and sliced into 1/4"-3/8" wide slices
1/3 c sugar
1 T flour
juice of a lemon
zest of a lemon
1/8 t cinnamon



Our plum tree is again producing a ton of plums this year. As in prior bumper-crop years, ours are small but very juicy and sweet.

Make the crust first. This crust is very flaky and works well with the plums.

Instructions

1. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt) together well. Cube the butter into small cubes and blend into the dry mix with a pastry blender. Allow some larger chunks of butter to remain. After the butter is blended, mix in the sour cream with fork and form dough into a disc-shape, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. (if your plums are small, you'll have plenty of time washing, pitting, and cutting them up while the dough cools...)

2. Place the plum slices in a bowl and add the other filling ingredients. Gently mix them together.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Flour an area to roll out the dough and put the unwrapped disk of dough and let it sit for a few minutes. Roll the dough gently and evenly into a 13" circle about 1/8"-3/16" thick. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and place on the parchment paper covered baking sheet.

5. Starting in the center, arrange the plum pieces in a radial pattern layering 2-3 layers deep (thicker layers in the center). Leave an edge of about 1" to 1 1/4" around the edge. Using a table knife or small spatula, begin rolling the uncovered edge back up over the edge of the plum layer. Move around the circle until the edge is flipped up all the way around.

6. Mix the egg and cream up and begin painting the flipped up edge generously all around the perimeter. Sprinkle coarse sugar generously on the egg washed area.

7. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven. My oven baked these in about 35 minutes, but it could take up to 50 minutes to get the crust evenly browned and the fruit filling fully cooked and bubbling.

Remove and cool for 1 hour. 

Trying serving ala mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and we recommend Springgate's Honey Peach White Wine.

I made this with some changes based on a recipe HERE

Smashed Garlic Potato Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
6-10 medium potatoes (I used a mix of new red and white russets)
2 heads garlic
1 lg onion, thin sliced
1+5 T unsalted butter (divided)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
6-8 small peppers, cut in half lengthwise, cleaned of seeds
Olive oil for pan and garlic

Instructions
1. Wash and dice potatoes (skin on). Place a a pot, cover with water on high heat. Boil until fork tender. Drain and set aside.
2. While potatoes cook, clean garlic heads and cut off top of head exposing tops of each clove. Place in center of a sheet of foil. Drizzle tops with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. When done squeeze softened centers out discarding outer skin.
3. Saute onions with 1 T butter on medium heat until caramelized. Set aside for garnish.
4. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Drizzle or spray on a light coating of olive oil. Place 1/2 peppers on sheet.
5. Add garlic, Parmesan cheese, 5 T butter and pepper to potatoes and mash well.
6. With two spoons distribute potatoes into each 1/2 pepper (mounded). Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese. Bake in 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes until top are brown and peppers start to soften.
7. Serve hot garnished on top with caramelized onions.

Chicken Cordon Bleu en Croute

Ingredients
2 large 1/2 chicken breasts
2 thin slices of deli ham
3-4 thin slices of deli swiss
2 sheets Pillsbury Puff Pastry
1/4 c Soy
1/4 c Balsamic Vinegar
Olive oil (for coating top of pastry)
Dry Thyme (for topping)

Instructions
preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Place chicken breasts in a 1 gallon plastic back with soy and balsamic vinegar. Massage a bit and place in a container in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Defrost puff pastry per instructions.
3. When chicken has marinated, remove the chicken and place each in a separate empty 1 gallon plastic bag. Make sure to remove the air and center the chicken inside the bag.
4. Now using a pan or mallet, place the chicken in the bag on a cutting board and pound the meat to about 1/4" thick. Be careful to get an even thickness. Repeat for both chicken breasts.
5. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Coat with olive oil or cooking spray. Remove each pounded chicken breast from it's bag and one at a time, brown both sides for 5-7 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a plate.
6. Place one sheet of the puff pastry on a a floured surface. Roll out to even thickness and to flatten the folds. Add a layer of swiss cheese to a 6" square in the center. Cover swiss cheese with a slice of ham. Now add one of the chicken breasts broken into pieces to cover the cheese and ham. Now take each corner of the pastry and fold it to the center, overlapping each time to form a closed square package. Place seam side down into a well greased glass 9x13 pan. Repeat for the second package.
7. With a pastry brush coat the top and sides of each package with olive oil. Sprinkle with dry Thyme.
8. Bake in 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until pastry is puffed and browned.
9. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Remove each package from the pan, and cut in 1/2 (each serving is 1/2 of a package.)  Serve immediately.

Twice baked potatoes with crimini and bleu cheese

Ingredients
4 large white baking potatoes
8 oz crimini mushrooms
2 T butter
4 oz crumbled bleu cheese
1/2 c unflavored yogurt
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese (for topping)
Dried Thyme (for topping)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Wash potatoes, puncture with a fork and bake in the oven for 1 hour
3. Wash mushrooms, remove stems, slice into 1/4 slices then cut again to make smaller pieces
4. Heat a saute pan on medium heat and add 2 T butter
5. Add mushrooms to saute pan. Salt to taste.
6. Saute for 10 minutes or so until liquid is sweated out and mushrooms are softened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
7. In a large bowl mix yogurt, 1/4 c Parmesan cheese and bleu cheese. Then when cooled, fold in the sauted mushrooms.
8. When finished, remove the potatoes from the oven and allow to cool 10-15 minutes (until you can handle them).
9. Cut each potato in half, length-wise.
10. Using a large spoon, carefully remove the inside of the potato into the bowl containing yogurt, cheese and mushrooms. Do not break the skin and set each emptied skin aside for refilling.
11. Once all of the potato is in the bowl, fold the mixture together breaking up any large chunks of potato.
12. Using a large spoon, divide the potato mixture into each of the eight 1/2 baked potato skins, smoothing the top.
13. Place refilled skins on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and thyme.
14. Bake in the 400  degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Remove and serve.