Blackberry Cream Cheese Pastries

This is a slightly revised version of a Better Homes and Gardens recipe for blueberry pastries. Basically, these work with whatever fruit and jam combination you might choose to use. 

Ingredients:

• 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1cup fresh or frozen blackberries

• 1/2 cup peach jam

• 17.3 ounce package frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets), thawed

• 1egg

• 1 tablespoon water

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. then line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla then beat again. In a small bowl stir together the fruit and jam.


On a lightly floured surface, roll each sheet of the thawed puff pastry into a 10 1/2 inch square. Cut each square into nine 31/2 in squares and transfer the squares to the baking sheets. Using a fork, prick the center of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch unpricked border around all the edges. In a small bowl beat egg and the water together with a fork, then brush the squares with the egg mixture. Spread a well-rounded tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture onto the center of each square of pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top each with about a tablespoons of the fruit mixture, spreading evenly over cream cheese mixture. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. 

Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Arugula and Garlic Yogurt

Here is another sheet pan dinner as divined by the folks writing the online New York Times Cooking column. This recipe was attributed to Melissa Clark. My sister Penelope gave this dish a thumbs-up.

Ingredients: 
• 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 ¼ pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
• 2 tablespoons harissa (or use another thick hot sauce, such as sriracha)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest 
• ⅓ cup plain yogurt 
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 ounces baby arugula
• Chopped fresh dill, as needed
• Lemon juice, as needed

Methods:
Combine the chicken and potatoes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the hot sauce, cumin and 3 tablespoons oil. Pour this over the chicken and potatoes and toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the leeks, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. in a bowl. Arrange chicken and potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 15 minutes then toss the potatoes lightly and scatter in the leeks. Roast until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and slightly crisped, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

Place yogurt in a small bowl  and grate the garlic into it. Stir in some chopped fresh dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon the yogurt over the chicken and vegetables either in the pan or after plating. Scatter arugula and dill over everything. Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and serve.

Lemon Ginger Tart

Here's another recipe from Sam Sifton's New York Times Cooking column, and more specifically, from someone by the name of Alison Roman. 

So, this attractive dessert was a difficult bake for me. I ended up altering the recipe somewhat because a) I didn't have enough sugar, so decreased the amount called for in the lemon filling by almost a half cup, and b) I didn't have enough butter because I spilled 3/4 cup of melted butter on my kitchen floor during the course of this baking adventure. I ended up with about two-thirds of a cup of butter in the crust; that's all I had left in my fridge. I actually think the recipe may have been improved by the dearth of sugar, or at least, made more to my taste. The lemon filling was certainly more tart than it would have been had I used the called-for amount.

I was a bit baffled by the author's instruction to sieve the lemon mixture after adding the grated ginger since I was sure that I thereby removed most of the ginger I had just put in. However, I have to say that despite the sieving, there was a certain subtle heat to the lemon filling which I attribute to ginger having been briefly in the mix. The turmeric merely enhances the colour of the tart.  

It's gorgeously sunny looking and tastes like pure gold (would taste, if gold had a taste). 

Ingredients for the crust:

•         1 ½ cups all purpose flour
•         ⅔ cupconfectioners’ sugar
•         1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
•          ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted (try not to spill this)

Ingredients for the filling:

•          1 cup fresh lemon juice
•          1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (I used a scant cup)
•          4 large egg yolks
•          1 large egg
•          ¼ cup all-purpose flour
•          1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
•          ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
•          ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
•          ½ lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed (optional)

Methods:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter and, using a spatula, mix until it’s well combined. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Bake the tart shell until it’s a pale golden brown on the edges and baked through on the bottom, about 15 to 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, egg, flour, ginger, turmeric and salt, then pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Add the lemon slices, if using, and stir to coat. Pour the filling into the crust and bake the tart until the edges of the lemon filling are set and the center no longer jiggles, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.  

Lemon leftovers

Shrimp Scampi

I'm almost certain that I took this recipe from the New York Times Cooking column online, so I am going to attribute it to that source even though Shrimp Scampi recipes are pretty ubiquitous. And yummy. 

Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine or broth
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ¾ pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
• Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon
• Cooked pasta or crusty bread

Methods:
In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté, about 1 minute. Add the wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let the wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve over pasta. 

Moroccan Chicken Phyllo Pie

This recipe comes from the cookbook entitled Whitewater Cooks, and an individual called Val Grlic. Interesting name. At any rate, this recipe is great for those who like a savoury pie (I use the term loosely)  that combines fruit with meat. It might be best served at room temperature, with chutney or a yogurt based sauce. 

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 2 large breasts) cut into smallish bite-sized pieces

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons tomato paste

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 4 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/4 cup blanched almonds, finely chopped

• 1 & 1/2 cups of apricots and prunes that have been soaked in boiling water to soften

• 8 sheets of phyllo pastry

• 1/2 cup melted butter

Methods:
Saute the oil and garlic in oil, then add the chicken pieces and cook until browned. Add the cumin and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, lemon juice and honey and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the dried fruit and almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Using a springform pan, place 6 sheets of buttered phyllo pastry one sheet at a time into the pan letting the edges hang over the edge. Pour the slightly cooled chicken mixture into the pan, fold over the sides of the phyllo pastry and then cover the entire thing with the two remaining sheets of phyllo pastry, buttered. Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Maple Walnut Pie from Genius Kitchen

I made a batch of pie crust this morning and then immediately wanted to bake a pie. That is, I wanted a maple walnut pie. Genius Kitchen actually calls this a recipe for Vermont Maple Walnut Pie, but given my maple syrup is from Eastern Ontario, we can just drop that Vermont bit. After taking a slice, I don't think this is the best nut pie I've ever made but it definitely satisfied a craving.

Ingredients:

• 9-inch unbaked crust

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 1&1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Methods:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the flour and sugar in a saucepan, then add the butter, syrup and salt. Heat until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat, so the mixture cools somewhat. In a medium bowl mix the eggs and then slowly whisk the eggs into the melted sugar mixture. Pour everything into the unbaked pie shell and strew the walnuts on top. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the filling is set.

Ina Garten's Bean and Arugula Salad - almost the same ingredients, slightly different method

I am reluctant to alter anything about the recipes contained in Ina Garten's Foolproof cookbook, for an obvious reason...they're foolproof. However, I confess to using tinned rather than dried and reconstituted beans to make this salad. What can I say....I only have so much time to cook. The tin canning process was allegedly created by Frenchman Philippe de Girard and the idea passed to British merchant Peter Durand who patented Girard's idea in 1810. Once they got rid of the lead soldering in the cans, people stopped dying, and canned goods took hold. Of note, tinned vegetables frequently contain a lot of salt, so a reduction of the amount of salt that Ina recommended in this recipe was essential. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tins of cannellini beans

• 2 tablespoons plus an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup good olive oil

• 1 red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick half-rounds

• 2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and small-diced

• 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)

• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, small-diced

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 2 ounces baby arugula

Methods:
Remove the beans from their tins, rinse and drain them well. Saute the red onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until soft. Add the rest of the olive oil to the saute pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and prosciutto and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the hot oil mixture over the drained beans, tossing well. While still warm, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the bean mixture in a large serving bowl, surrounded by the arugula. This salad can be served warm or at room temperature.

Ratatouille

I had some baby zucchini in my fridge along with lots of sweet peppers, so decided to make the stewed vegetable dish that was made famous by a rodent in a movie by the same name…Ratatouille. Wikipedia provides the correct pronunciation of this colourful dish:

Ratatouille ( rat-ə-TOO-ee) is a traditional French Provencal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise.

Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but also may be served as a meal on its own accompanied by pasta, rice or bread. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), bell peppers, marjoram and basil, or bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs like herbes de Provence. Ratatouille is a dish extremely popular with dieters since not only is it low in fat and calories, but it's high in nutrients. Eat with impunity.

Ingredients:

• 5 baby (4-5 inch long or about 10 cm) zucchini, sliced cross-wise into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large cooking onion, peeled, halved and sliced
• 2 sweet red peppers, gutted and sliced
• 1 large clove of garlic, smashed and finely chopped ( or more, to taste)
• 1 small tin of cherry tomatoes ( or about a cup and a half of fresh tomatoes, chopped)
• herbs and salt and pepper to taste ( I used some sprigs of fresh thyme and marjoram)
• tablespoon of olive oil for sauteing

Methods: 
Place all ingredients in a saute pan and cook over moderate heat until all of the vegetables are softly stewed. You can use this as an omelet or crepe filling, or as I did, a vegetable side dish. You’ll notice that I omitted the aubergine; despite its lovely sounding name, it ends up rather greyish when cooked. Ratatouille isn’t exactly a glamourous dish and needs all the help it can get when it comes to looks.

Nigella Lawson's Sausages with Apples and Onions as per the New York Times

Apparently, Britain's domestic-goddess-with-the-slightly-tarnished-reputation has arisen like a phoenix from the ashes with a new cookbook entitled "At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking". Sounds right up my alley. Nigella has a recipe for roasted sausages with quartered red onions and Gala apples. According to a NYT food editor, we don't have to wait for the release date of the cookbook. Simply toss the best sausages you can find with olive oil, the apples and onions, some mustard seeds, dried thyme and a little flaky salt, then roast it all at 400 degrees F for around an hour.  

It was very tasty.

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

This recipe comes from Craig Lee of the New York Times. The potatoes have a nice lemon flavour but there was too much paprika for my taste.

Ingredients:

•         2 lemons
•         2 pounds large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3), scrubbed and cut lengthwise into eighths
•          ¼ cup olive oil
•         1 teaspoon smoked paprika
•          Kosher salt
•          Freshly ground pepper
•          4 sprigs rosemary or thyme

Methods:

Heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Slice 1 lemon into 1/4-inch slices and remove all seeds. Place the sliced lemon on a rimmed sheet tray along with the potatoes, olive oil and paprika, and combine. Arrange the ingredients in a single layer and season them with salt and pepper. Scatter the rosemary in and around the potatoes. Roast until the potatoes are golden brown, crisped and completely tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Possibly flip them over half way through the roasting to enhance browning. Serve on a large platter with lemon quarters from the second lemon, in case anyone wants additional lemon flavour.

Honey Spice Loaf

My sister Penelope made this moist and flavourful loaf for the Easter meal. Celebrity Chef Anna Olson is the original source of the recipe. No sugar or eggs involved, but lots of spices.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (150 g) whole wheat flour
• 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ tsp (7.5 g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (2.5 g) baking soda
• ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt
• ½ tsp (1.5 g) ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp (1.5 g) ground anise seed
• ½ tsp (1.5 g) ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp (1 g) ground cloves
• 1 ½ cups (375 mL) 2% milk
• 1 cup (300 g) honey
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, melted

Honey Glaze:

1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp butter, 1 cup  (130 g) icing sugar, sifted

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 350 ºF and grease a 9-x-5-inch loaf tin.

Measure the whole wheat flour into a large mixing bowl and then sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all of the spices. Add the milk, honey and orange zest and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in its tin for 30 minutes and then turn it out to cool completely on a rack.

For the honey glaze, stir the melted butter and honey together and then stir in the icing sugar, adding water if needed to achieve a glaze consistency. 

Happy Easter/April Fool's Day....whichever you prefer