Chicken Canzanese

This is a easy, delicious meal that makes ordinary chicken thighs amazing.  We love it over polenta.

Serves 4 to 6. Published May 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.

When seasoning the dish at the end, be mindful that the prosciutto adds a fair amount of salt. It is important to use a piece of thickly sliced prosciutto in this recipe; thin strips will become tough and stringy. An equal amount of thickly sliced pancetta or bacon can be used in place of the prosciutto. Serve the chicken with boiled potatoes, noodles, or polenta to absorb extra sauce.


1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces prosciutto (1/4 inch thick), cut into 1/4-inch cubes (see note)
4 medium garlic cloves , sliced thin lengthwise
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), trimmed of excess fat and skin
ground black pepper
2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 whole cloves
1 (4-inch) sprig fresh rosemary , leaves removed and minced fine (about 1/2 teaspoon), stem reserved
12 whole fresh sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Table salt

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed ovensafe skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic slices and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden brown, about 1½ minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic and prosciutto to small bowl and set aside. Do not rinse pan.

2. Increase heat to medium-high; add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with ground black pepper. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.

3. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Sprinkle flour over fat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly add wine and broth; bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Stir in cloves, rosemary stem, sage leaves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and reserved prosciutto and garlic. Nestle chicken into liquid, skin side up (skin should be above surface of liquid), and bake, uncovered, until meat offers no resistance when poked with fork but is not falling off bones, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (Check chicken after 15 minutes; broth should be barely bubbling. If bubbling vigorously, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.)

4. Using tongs, transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Remove and discard sage leaves, rosemary stem, cloves, and bay leaves. Place skillet over high heat and bring sauce to boil. Cook until sauce is reduced to 1¼ cups, 2 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in minced rosemary, lemon juice, and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce around chicken and serve.

Best Blueberry Muffins

Just the thing for a morning that is seven below.  In New Jersey.  "Seven below what?" Holly asked.  My thoughts exactly.

Makes 12 muffins. Published May 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.


Lemon-Sugar Topping

1/3 cup sugar (2 1/3 ounces)

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon

Muffins

2 cups fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces), picked over

1 1/8 cups sugar (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Instructions

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.


2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.


3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 11/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Place 1 teaspoon of cooled berry jam in center of each batter-filled cup, pushing it below surface.


Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.


5. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

kumquat-champagne cocktails

I just took this out of the Martha Stewart Living December 2010 issue. Her quantities were for twice as much (a party). I halved everything here for a one-bottle party for six..... These cocktails are really pretty!

• 1 pint kumquats, pricked a few times with a pin
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 bottle sparkling wine

1. Place kumquats in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Drain immediately. Repeat twice.
2. Add sugar and 1 cup water to drained kumquats in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat immediately, and let kumquats and syrup cool completely.
3. Spoon 3 kumquats and 1 TBS syrup into each of 6 champagne glasses.
4. Top off with champagne.
   
5. Toast, drink, enjoy.
   

Delicious, Stupid-Easy Salsa Verde

My friend Susan Stevenson brought a small group of local farmers and producers to our tiny burg for a monthly farmer's market this summer (hopefully more often in 2011!).  Here's what I did with yesterday's $3 of tomatillos.  We ate some with chips and will have the rest with chicken enchiladas.  Thanks Chuck Williams (Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library "Mexican Favorites")!

Makes 2-3 cups

3 cups water
2 1/2 tsp salt
3 fresh serrano chili peppers
1 lb (I used 1 qt) tomatillos, husks removed
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

In a saucepan over high heat combine the water and 1 tsp of the salt and bring to boil.  Add the garlic, chilies and tomatillos and cook uncovered 8-10 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup liquid.

When cool enough to handle, stem the chilies and tomatillos.

In a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine chilies, garlic, tomatillos, reserved liquid, remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt and cilantro and process to a smooth puree.  Add the onion and pulse to combine.

Let the salsa cool to room temperature and serve.

Will keep refrigerated for up to one week.

sausage in puff pastry

I've made this twice and it was a hit both times. The recipe is in Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I did change it ever so slightly. Instead of using lamb sausage I used italian chicken sausage (mild). Because those sausages tend to be fatter, I sliced them in halve lengthwise before rolling in the puff pastry. Here is the link to the original..... It is super-easy and totally yummy. And yes, both times I made it ahead, refrigerated wrapped in plastic wrap and then baked when I got to my destination.....

Tiramisu

I realized today that my only copy of this recipe is from the original issue of Fine Cooking (May 1999) when it was published.  If that goes missing I will never forgive myself, so now here, I have a backup.  Joanne Chang was a former economist with a startup Boston bakery when the article was published.  Today she is a respected chef; I even saw her on Throwdown doing sticky buns (she beat Bobby Flay easily).

I'm making this for Father's Day dessert.

You can make the sponge yourself, which makes all the difference.  Or you can cheat, and use lady fingers (the dried savoiardi are better than the fresh ones) and just do the filling.  I admit to doing that frequently, and it's still delicious! 

Another change is that sometimes I use half Kahlua and half sweet Marsala (the latter is traditional).

Finally, my grocery store cuts the price of the mascarpone when it's close to its expiration date.  I've paid as little as 99 cents for an 8.8 ounce container!  It can be frozen and thawed successfully.

serves ten

For the coffee-flavored sponge cake:

4 eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup hot brewed espresso
4 1/2 ounce (1 cup) all-purpose flour
pinch salt

For the mascarpone filling:

4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup coffee liquor such as Kahlua (*see my note above)
pinch salt
3/4 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup heavy cream

For assembly:

1 cup hot brewed espresso
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate

For the sponge cake:

Heat the oven to 350.  Line a rimmed pan or jelly roll pan measuring 14x11 or 15x10 (or close to those measurements) with parchment.  Using a stand mixer with its whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks, 1/3 cup of the sugar  and the hot espresso on high until thick and voluminous, at least 6 minutes.  In another bowl and with clean beaters, whisk the egg whites on medium speed.  When they reach the soft-peak stage, slowly add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar with the mixer running.  Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the whites are smooth and glossy with peaks that hold their shape without drooping; another 1 to 2 minutes.  Fold one-third of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten them and then gently fold in the rest of the whites.

Sift the flour and salt over the mixture and fold it in gently.  Spread the batter evenly on the prepared sheet pan.  Bake until the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed and the cake doesn't stick to your fingers 12-14 minutes.  Remove from the oven and invert it onto a cooling rack.  Gently peel off the parchment and allow the cake to cool completely.

For the filling:

Set a pan of warm water to simmer and fill a large bowl with ice.  In a medium stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, coffee liquor and salt.  Set the bowl over, but not touching, the simmering water and whisk until the mixture thickens, the whisk leaves ribbons trailing off of it and you can see the bottom of the bowl when you scrape the whisk along the bottom; 6 to 7 minutes.  Cool the yolk mixture by setting the bowl on the ice bath and whisking the mixture occasionally.  Meanwhile, whisk together the cream and mascarpone until it holds peaks.  When the yolk mixture is cool, gently fold in the cream mixture until combined.  Keep the mixture cool.

For assembly:

Divide the sponge cake into thirds (three rectangles about 4.5x11 or 5x10 inches).  Lay one of the cake rectangles on the bottom of a rectangular pan (I use a Pyrex baking dish, or a glass loaf pan if I use the lady fingers).  Brush the top with one-third of the hot espresso.  Spread just under half of the mascarpone filling over the cake.  Grate one third of the chocolate on top of the mascarpone.  Repeat with another layer of cake, espresso, filling and chocolate.  Top with the last layer of cake, brush on the last of the coffee, spread on a very thin layer of mascarpone and grate the rest of the chocolate on top.  Refrigerate several ours or overnight before serving.  Slice and serve.

Grilled Lemon Chicken Skewers with Satay Dip

This is one of my go-to recpies for parties.  A neighbor has me make it for her parties about twice a year.  Tonight I'm taking it to book group, as it's perfect at room temperature.

I love that you cook the breasts whole and slice them to skewer.  Much easier and much prettier.  When I make it in the summer I usually lay the skewers on a bed of thyme from the garden.

From Ina Garten; The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, 1999
serves 8-10 easily

Ingredients

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
3/4 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
Satay Dip, recipe follows

Directions

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over the chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

Grill the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Cool slightly and cut diagonally in 1/2-inch-thick slices. Skewer with wooden sticks and serve with Satay Dip.

Satay Dip:

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2/3 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion) (sometimes I just use a large shallot - A)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice  (lemon is just fine too - why be complicated!  -A)

Cook the olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red pepper flakes in a small, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat until the onion is transparent, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, sherry, and lime juice; cook for 1 more minute. Cool and use as a dip for Grilled Lemon Chicken skewers.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Chipotle-Garlic Butter with Lime and Cilantro

Um, you had me at "hello?"

Cook's has this recipe in their March & April 2002 issue. I put it on top of pan-roasted halibut steaks. But, I bet it would be equally yummy on top of steak or something else equally decadent that doesn't need more calories but rejoices when you dollop it on top..... Sigh.

1/2 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 chipotle chile en adobo, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp honey
1 tsp grated lime zest
2 tsps minced fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt

Beat butter with a fork until fluffy. Stir in remaining ingredients. Dollop a TBS of butter on top of cooked fish. YUM. (The recipe easily halves if you live with a butter phobic person like I do.)

Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp

We are having a springtime nosh today including Prosecco (two kinds for tasting!) the Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin and this great garlic shrimp tapas dish from Cook's (Jan 2008).  I was looking for this recipe here and realized I hadn't posted it.  So...enjoy!


Garlic Shrimp:
Serves 6 as an appetizer

Serve shrimp with crusty bread for dipping in the richly flavored olive oil. The dish can be served directly from the skillet (make sure to use a trivet) or, for a sizzling effect, transferred to an 8-inch cast-iron skillet that's been heated for 2 minutes over medium-high heat. We prefer the slightly sweet flavor of dried chiles in this recipe, but 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika can be substituted. If sherry vinegar is unavailable, use 2 teaspoons dry sherry and 1 teaspoon white vinegar.



Ingredients
14 medium garlic cloves , peeled
1 pound large shrimp , peeled, deveined, and tails removed
8 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 bay leaf
1 (2-inch) piece mild dried chile , such as New Mexico, roughly broken, seeds included (see notes and step by step)
1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (see note)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

1. Mince 2 garlic cloves with chef's knife or garlic press. Toss minced garlic with shrimp, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt in medium bowl. Let shrimp marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes

2. Meanwhile, using flat side of chef's knife, smash 4 garlic cloves. Heat smashed garlic with remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is light golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow oil to cool to room temperature. Using slotted spoon, remove smashed garlic from skillet and discard.

3. Thinly slice remaining 8 cloves garlic. Return skillet to low heat and add sliced garlic, bay leaf, and chile. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender but not browned, 4 to 7 minutes. (If garlic has not begun to sizzle after 3 minutes, increase heat to medium-low.) Increase heat to medium-low; add shrimp with marinade to pan in single layer. Cook shrimp, undisturbed, until oil starts to gently bubble, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip shrimp and continue to cook until almost cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Increase heat to high and add sherry vinegar and parsley. Cook, stirring constantly, until shrimp are cooked through and oil is bubbling vigorously, 15 to 20 seconds. Serve immediately.

Guinness Beef Stew

I don't really do much with my slow cooker, other than serve warm food from it. But I've been making this recipe since it appeared in Cook's Country in March 2007. It's great, and easy. After two weeks of sun and 60+ degrees, we have a cold, rainy weekend in the Garden State, and this is on the counter already simmering away for dinner tonight.

Serves 6-8

3 lbs boneless beef chuck stew meat
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Guinness Draught (not the extra stout)
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 bay leaves
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 1/2 lb baby red potatoes, scrubbed clean
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp minced parsley (fresh)

Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of beef until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker insert and repeat with additional 2 tsp oil and remaining beef.

Add remaining 2 tsp oil, onions, and 1/4 tsp salt to skillet and cook until onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add broth, 1 1/4 cups stout, sugar, thyme, chocolate and bay leaves - bring to boil using wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits. Transfer to slow cooker insert.

Add carrots, parsnips, and potatoes to slow cooker insert. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, 9-10 hours (or cook on high for 6-7 hours).

Set slow cooker to high. Whisk flour and remaining 1/4 cup beer until smooth, then stir mixture into slow cooker. Cook, covered, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper, and discard bay leaves.

Linguine with Steamed Cockles in Saffron-Tarragon Sauce

We decided to splurge and make a trip to the fish market on Friday. You never know what you're going to find, and I spied some gorgeous cockles. I decided to make this from epicurious (Bon Appetit 6/05) and it was absolutely scrumptious. I omitted the cream at the end and added a tiny bulb of fennel that I diced.

This yields two dinner-size servings; I halved it for a first course for the two of us. (The main dish was Parmesan-crusted tilefish with asparagus risotto.)

If you can't get cockles you can use small clams.

12 ounces linguine
2 T butter
1/4 C chopped shallots
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 C dry white wine
2 T chopped fresh tarragon (I used 1 t dried)
pinch saffron threads
2 pounds cockles or small Manilla clams
2 T whipping cream (OMITTED)

Cook linguine in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add shallots & garlic, saute 2 minutes. Add wine, half of tarragon and saffron. Increase heat to high, bring to boil. Add cockles, cover and cook until cockles open, about 3 minutes. Use tongs to transfer cockles to a bow, discarding any that do not open. Stir cream into skillet, season with salt & pepper to taste. Add pasta to skillet, toss. Divide into large flat serving bowls and top with cockles and remaining tarragon and serve.

Lebanese Lentil and Rice Pilaf with Blackened Onions

This recipe is wonderful. It's vegetarian and exactly what we needed after a week of overindulging in Puerto Rico. I usually slice up cucumbers and tomatoes to eat alongside. I also make the flatbread that is in Cook's Jan/Feb 1999 issue.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lebanese-Lentil-and-Rice-Pilaf-with-Blackened-Onions-108813

strawberry sauce

I made this last night to go on top of ice cream and brownies. It was so good. I got the recipe out of a B&B cookbook - the original intent was to put it on top of fancy French toast.... I can see where that would be good, but it just screamed vanilla ice cream and chocolate brownie to me.

• 1 Qt strawberries
• 2 TBS orange liqueur (I used Cointreau)
• 2 TBS water
  
• 1/3 cup sugar

Slice the strawberries. Put all ingredients into a sauce pan and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir. Let cool before you burn your mouth.... Can be easily reheated in the microwave.

Almost-No-Knead Baguettes

This recipe was in the King Arthur Flour Baker's Catalog earlier this year. It makes enough dough for four loaves, so I have halved the recipe successfully. (Also, who can manage EIGHT CUPS of flour?!) I've made it three times successfully without a baguette pan.

Apologies to you high-elevation people for another bread recipe...

"Better is half a loaf than no bread" -- John Heywood

3 cups lukewarm water
8 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon table salt or 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
(or, by weight:)

24 ounces lukewarm water
34 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon table salt or 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast

Directions
1) Find a large (6-quart) bowl or bucket, for dough storage in the fridge. Lightly grease the bowl or bucket.
2) Place the water directly into the bowl or or other large container.
3) Add the dry ingredients to the water, and stir to combine. Mix until there are no dry spots; the texture of the dough should be fairly soft.
4) Knead the dough gently for a few minutes, by hand; it'll be very sticky. Or knead for 1 or 2 minutes in a stand mixer. Cover the container, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
5) Refrigerate overnight, or for up to 7 days.
6) To bake bread: Scoop out a scant 1 pound of dough (about ¼ of the batch, about 14 ½ ounces). Place on a greased work surface.
7) Shape the dough into a rough, slightly flattened oval, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
8) Fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel of your hand. Flatten slightly, and fold lengthwise and seal again.
9) With the seam side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the of dough into a 15" log.
10) Place the log seam-side down onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, or into the well of a baguette pan.
11) Cover and allow the baguette to rise till it's very puffy, about 1 1/2 hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F.
12) Slash the baguette three or four times on the diagonal.
13) Spritz the baguette heavily with warm water, and bake until a very deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

roasted brussel sprouts

I found this recipe today in an attempt to get rid of some of the random bags of frozen vegetables that JR seems to buy two at a time and then forget about. So after looking at all the cookbooks I had here and not finding anything simple or anything AT ALL to do with brussel sprouts I went online to try my luck. What I loved most about this recipe was how simple it was and to top it off I used grated Gouda that someone suggested on another website. It was awesome and b. sprouts might be making a comeback into our regular diet.

Note: the recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa on Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts (I used a bag of frozen ones)
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Grilled Snapper with Olives & Oranges

This sounds like an unlikely combination but the fruit "salsa" is pretty and quick and really good.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 8 mins

Serves 4

1-1/2 c. orange sections, chopped (sweet is good: I used mineolas)

1/3 c. sliced green olives (I used queens)

1/4 c. diced red onion

2 T. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 T. fresh lime juice, divided

(I used double the amounts listed above. The more salsa per filet, the better.)

4, 6-oz. snapper fillets

2 T. olive oil

1.

Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat grill to medium (300-350F). In a small bowl combine oranges, olives, onion, parsley and 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Set aside.

2.

Season fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with oil and remaining lime juice.

3.

Place fillets on grill. Grill 4 to 5 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Spoon orange-olive salsa over filets (and extra on the side if you made double per my instructions!).

Serve with rice.

(From a free recipe card given away at our local grocery store (!).)

mallorcas!

- Makes 9 rolls -

Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
flour for dusting work surface
butter to grease bowl and pan
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Procedure

1. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the sugar, salt, egg yolks, milk, 4 tablespoons of the cooled butter, and 2-1/2 cups of the flour. Mix well.

2. Lightly flour a work surface. Turn out the dough and knead for 5 minutes. Add enough of the remaining flour so that the dough is not sticky.

3. Grease a bowl with butter. Pur the dough in it and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Set aside. Punch the dough down. Knead it on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 18x9 inches. Brush with the remaining melted butter. Roll up the dough from one short end and cut it into 9 slices; trim the ends to make them neat. Arrange the slices in the baking pan. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the rolls cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Peach Pie

Here's the recipe link and picture. Forgive me for not re-posting.

Carmelized Tomato Tatin -- at last!

I finally made this tonight (served with simple grilled steaks) and it was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check my blog for real-life photo and details.

Brownies

This is from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.

1/2 cup butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup white flour

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter an 8- or 9-in square baking pan.
• In a medium or large saucepan melt the butter and chocolate together. When the butter and chocolate have melted, remove the pot from the heat.
• Add the brown sugar and vanilla and mix with an electric mixer.
• Add the eggs. (If you aren't using an electric mixer, be sure the beat the eggs first. If you are using the mixer just crack the eggs right into the pot.)
• Stir in the flour, and mix until the batter is thoroughly blended and smooth.
  
• Pour batter into the pan and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.