Blueberry Galette

Saw this recipe in the Detroit News, sounded great. Was in Charlevoix at Marvin's Gardens, looking for a Hydrangea bush and they had fresh, local blueberries, so I had to buy them and make the galette. It was soooo good. here it is. The only change was I used a round crust, Spartan Store, Oleson's in CVX, just ridged the edges, more rustic, but so good. Served with vanilla ice cream, we all enjoyed after a nice grilled Greek chicken dinner.

Blueberry Galette

1 pound fresh blueberries (3 cups) 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar 1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie dough (from a 15-ounce package) 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon raw or coarse sugar Garnish: grated lemon zest (optional)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together blueberries, cornstarch, zest, juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until combined.

Unwrap pie dough and unfold onto baking sheet, then spoon blueberry mixture onto center of dough, leaving a 1 1/2 -inch border around edge.

Fold edge of dough over 1 inch of blueberry mixture, pleating dough, then dot blueberry filling with butter pieces. Lightly brush pastry with some beaten egg and sprinkle with remaining teaspoon sugar. (I used a round crust, just ruffled the edges all around)

Bake until blueberry filling is bubbling and pastry is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheet on a rack. Top with lemon zest and serve warm with lemon sorbet or vanilla ice cream if desired. Serves 6.

Per serving: 307 calories; 12 g fat (6 g saturated fat; 35 percent calories from fat); 47 g carbohydrates; 48 mg cholesterol; 246 mg sodium; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber.

Bon Appetit!

Watermelon Feta Salad

Was at Trader Joe's this weekend, this was their food sample, didn't want it at first, but Deb made me, tasted it and it was great! Served tonight as dessert, entree was grilled scallops, broccolini and little Polish potato dumplings.

Ingredients:

3 Cups chopped watermelon, seeds removed

3 oz. Feta

1 small diced or sliced red onion

3/4 C shredded basil leaves

2 T Balsamic Vinegar

Toss all together, chill for several hours, serve.

Bon Appetit!

Pepper & Crab Gazpacho

Summer is in full swing, sort of here anyway, so I wanted a cool summer dinner. This is very good.

Serves: 8 / Preparation time: 30 minutes Total time: 35 minutes (plus chilling time) You can use more jalapeño pepper or a hotter pepper for a spicier version.

Ingredients:
6 large tomatoes, cored, halved and seeded
1 medium sweet onion, cut in wedges
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 thick, stale piece sourdough bread
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
1 medium bell pepper (yellow, red or green) seeded, coarsely chopped
2 medium jalapeño chili peppers, seeded and cut up
2 cups favorite vegetable juice (regular, hot or spicy), I used Trader Joe's Garden Patch, my favorite.
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar, or more as needed
Salt and black pepper to taste

2 cans (6 ounces each) canned crabmeat, drained, flaked, and cartilage removed
Chopped fresh chives for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place tomatoes (cut sides up), onion and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 30 minutes or until tomato skins are charred. Peel off skins.

While tomatoes are roasting, prepare the other ingredients.

Soak the bread slice in water for several minutes and squeeze out excess liquid.

Place tomatoes and bread in food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to large serving bowl. Place onion, garlic, cucumber, sweet bell pepper and chili peppers in food processor. Cover; pulse with on/off turns until chopped to desired consistency.

Add processed vegetables, vegetable juice, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and black pepper to tomato mixture. Stir to combine. Cover and chill at least 8 hours or overnight.
Spoon gazpacho in bowls. Top with crabmeat. Sprinkle with chives.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, July 2009 issue. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 140 calories (26% from fat), 4 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat), 17 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams protein, 321 mg sodium, 28 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.

Bon Appetit!

Mediterranean Potato Salad

This recipe is from the 7-19-2009 Detroit Free Press, made for dinner with baby-back, oven-baked ribs, baked beans and a nice dinner roll. Very tasty summer meal.

Mediterranean Potato Salad
Serves: 8 / Preparation time: 20 minutes Total time: 30 minutes (plus chilling time)

Ingredients:
2 pounds redskin potatoes, cooked, cooled and cut into cubes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered
3 green onions, washed, thinly sliced

Place the cooked, cubed potatoes in a large bowl.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing mixture over the potatoes and stir gently. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, olives and green onions and gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Created by Darlene Zimmerman, MS, RD, for Heart Smart and tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 137 calories (33% from fat), 5 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat), 21 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 218 mg sodium, 2 mg cholesterol, 40 mg calcium, 3 grams fiber. Food exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Bon Appetit!

Cherry Freezer Jam

Cherries Cherries Cherries Cherries Cherries
_______________________________________________

Have to use my cherries before they go bad. Again thanks to Marlene and her CVX cherry tree.



Decided to make freezer jam, quick and simple. First though, went to the appliance store to buy a cherry pitter, made fast work of the pits, worth the $6, can use for olives too!

Cherry Freezer Jam

4 cups pitted cherries
4 cups sugar
1 package Pectin, either liquid or dry and boiled with 1 C water. (whichever you can find)
Mix the cherries and the sugar, smash the cherries first with a potato masher then let sit 20 minutes.

Add the pectin, mix and pour into prepared jars, they do not have to be sterilized, just clean, Leave some room at the top. Should not be in really big jars, 8 0z. size is perfect.

Let sit out for 24 hours, then place in the freezer. If the jam does not thicken, you may boil mixture for 10 minutes, that should do it.

Bon Appetit!

Cherry Almond Muffins

Was in Charlevoix last week, beautiful weather and the cherries are ready to pick and eat.

I used fresh chopped cherries in these muffins that I got from my friend Marlene's cherry tree, but you could use frozen or canned and drained. These are so much better though.

Had fun picking them too, (see above). Adapted from a recipe by Diana Rattray, @ about.com
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cherries

1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375.

Grease and flour 15 muffin cups or line with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the salt, baking powder, flour, sugar, and cinnamon; and stir gently to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, flavoring, milk and melted butter until well blended. Stir egg and milk mixture into the dry mixture. Gently fold in the cherries and the almonds. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Top with additional almonds, if desired, I did.

Bake muffins at for 20 to 25 minutes.
Makes 12+ muffins.

Bon Appetit!

Ground Beef Casserole

Wanted a simple and quick meal tonight, cooked for eight all weekend. The title belies the great taste of this meal. It is simple, but very good.

Ingredients:

1.5 LBS GROUND BEEF
2 C COOKED WHITE RICE
1/2 LARGE ONION, CHOPPED
3-4 CLOVES PRESSED GARLIC
28 oz, DRAINED, CHOPPED OR DICED TOMATOES
1.5 CUPS OF GRATED CHEESE, CHEDDAR, PARMESAN, COMBO OR FAVORITE
2 t OREGANO
BREAD CRUMBS
S & P

Saute chopped onion in olive with S & P and the Oregano for 3-4 minutes, add garlic, saute for 1-2 additional minutes, add ground beef, cook until no longer pink. Drain all fat from pan, (pour into a colander).

Place cooked beef in a large mixing bowl, add cooked rice, tomatoes, cheese, S & P to taste and more Oregano if wanted.

Place all in a large casserole, top with remaining cheese and bread crumbs.

Bake @ 350 for 30-40 minutes, serve.

Bon Appetit!

Hot Brown

Still in Charlevoix, leaving tomorrow early, coming back Thursday for another long weekend. Made a Thanksgiving dinner last Sunday and I made sandwiches, had another full Thanksgiving meal, made Turkey Tetrazinni and today, the best - a Hot Brown.

In the 1920's, The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky, drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. In the wee hours of the morning, the guests would grow tired of dancing and retire to the restaurant for a bite to eat. Diners were growing rapidly bored with the traditional ham and eggs, so Chef Fred Schmidt set out to create something new to tempt his guests' palates. His unique creation was an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a delicate Mornay sauce.

Here it is, modified by me.

Hot Brown Recipe

Ingredients:

2 oz. Whole Butter

2 oz. All Purpose Flour

1 cup milk or enough to make a thick sauce

1/2 Cup shredded Parmesan and cheddar combined

1 Tablespoon Parmesan for Garnish

Salt & Pepper to Taste

8 oz. Sliced Roasted Turkey Breast

4 Slices of Toast (Crust Trimmed)

4 slices of Crispy Bacon

2 Roma Tomatoes, Sliced in Half

Paprika, Parsley

In a saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a thick paste (roux).

Continue to cook roux for two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk milk into the roux and cook over medium heat until it begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in cheese combination until the Mornay sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For each Hot Brown, place one slice of toast in an oven safe dish and cover with serving of turkey. Take the two halves of Roma tomato and set them alongside the base of turkey and toast.

Next, pour the Mornay sauce to cover the dish. Sprinkle with additional Pecorino Romano cheese.

Place entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Remove from broiler, cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top, sprinkle with paprika and parsley, and serve immediately.

Great!

Bon Appetit!