Thursday, April 19, 2012

Breaded Rack of Lamb Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Racks of lamb cut into chops (16 piece)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Master Breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Dijon mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a skillet and turn to medium-high heat. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of rosemary and 1 clove of chopped garlic.
Season each chop with salt and pepper. Sear chops in rosemary garlic oil for 1 to 2 minutes each side. Remove from skillet and let rest 5 minutes.
In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining rosemary and garlic, and 4 tablespoons olive oil.
Brush Dijon mustard over each chop and coat in breadcrumb mixture. Place on rack over baking sheet.
Bake in 450 degree F. oven for 10-15 minutes until medium - medium rare.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Seared Scallops in Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe

Seared Scallops in Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound bay scallops, cleaned and patted dry
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons butter, cubed, at room temperature
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup heavy cream
5 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Season the scallops on both sides with the salt and white pepper. Set a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and garlic. Sauté for a minute then add the butter and melt. Place the scallops in the pan and sauté for 3 minutes on the first side, then turn and cook on the second side for 1 minute.
Add the lemon juice, white wine and capers. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the heavy cream and 2 teaspoons of the parsley and cook for 1 minute longer.
Serve the scallops by dividing the sauce between 4 warmed, shallow bowls and place 3 scallops in the center of each bowl. Garnish with the remaining parsley

Polenta With Portabella Mushrooms Recipe

Polenta With Portabella Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients:
Mushrooms:

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 Portobello mushroom caps, gills removed and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 cup sweet vermouth
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Polenta:

3 cups chicken stock
1 cup quick cook polenta, found in Italian foods or specialty foods aisles
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
For the Mushrooms:

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and oil. When butter melts into oil, add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes or until mushrooms are all dark and tender. Add sweet vermouth to the pan and stir to coat. The vermouth will cook away in about 1 minute. Add parsley to the pan. Toss to combine. Set aside.

For the Polenta:

Bring 3 cups chicken broth to a boil in a covered pot. Stir quick cooking polenta into boiling chicken stock until it masses. Stir in mascarpone cheese, Parmesan cheese and butter. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.
Serve Polenta topped with mushrooms alongside the Stuffed Leg of Lamb.

Father P's Stuffed Leg of Lamb Recipe

Father P's Stuffed Leg of Lamb Recipe

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 tablespoons butter
2 small shallots, chopped
3/4 pound ground veal
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce Amaretto
1/4 cup amaretto cookies, crushed
1 bunch fresh spinach, wilted
1 (3 pound piece) boneless leg of lamb, butterflied

Directions:

In a Dutch oven heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add shallots and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the ground veal, season with salt and pepper and cook 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Once the meat mixture is cool, add the amaretto, amaretto cookies, and wilted spinach. Stir to blend.
Lightly salt and pepper the lamb on both sides. Use the veal mixture to stuff the leg of lamb, dividing the stuffing evenly throughout the meat flaps created by the butterfly cut. Roll the lamb up and use butcher's twine to tie the leg so that none of the stuffing will spill out.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, sear the stuffed leg until browned on all sides. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Cover Dutch oven with lid, place in oven and roast for 50 to 65 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers 140 degrees F. for medium-rare. Let it stand for 10 minutes before carving.
Serve with Polenta with Portobello Mushrooms

Father P's Cheesecake Recipe

Father P's Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:
Crust:

1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
32 ounces sour cream
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 eggs

Directions:
For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Tightly wrap the outside of a 10-inch diameter spring-form pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the almonds, cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor. Add the butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press the almond mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (not on the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

For the filling:

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the spring-form pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the spring-form pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour.
Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in turned off oven with the door slightly open for and additional 1/2 hour.
Serve cheesecake with blue berries or cherries.

Lidia's Chocolate Bread Parfait Recipe

Lidia's Chocolate Bread Parfait Recipe

Ingredients:

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces country-style, day-old, white bread, crusts removed
1 cup freshly brewed espresso
½ cup dark rum
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ cups chilled heavy cream
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

You will need a large rimmed tray or baking sheet, such as a half-sheet pan (12 by 18 inches); a spouted measuring cup, 1 pint or larger; 6 parfait glasses or wineglasses, preferably balloon-shaped.
Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl set on a pan of hot (not boiling) water. When the chocolate begins to melt, stir until completely smooth. Keep it warm, over the water, off the heat. Slice the bread into 1/2-inch thick slices, and lay them flat in one layer, close together, on the tray or baking sheet.
Pour the warm espresso into a spouted measuring cup, stir in the rum and sugar until sugar dissolves, then stir in half the melted chocolate. Pour the sauce all over the bread slices, then flip them over and turn them on the tray, to make sure all the surfaces are coated. Let the bread absorb the sauce for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, whip the cream until soft peaks form, by hand or with an electric mixer.
To assemble the parfaits:
Break the bread into 1-inch pieces. Use half the pieces to make the bottom parfait layer in the six serving glasses, dropping an equal amount of chocolate bread into each. Scrape up some of the unabsorbed chocolate sauce that remains on the baking sheet, and drizzle a bit over the bread layers.
Next, drop a layer of whipped cream in the glasses, using up half the cream. Top the cream layer with toasted almonds, using half the nuts.
Repeat the layering sequence: drop more soaked bread into each glass, drizzle over it the chocolate sauce from the tray and the remaining melted chocolate. Dollop another layer of whipped cream in the glasses, using it all up, and sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of each parfait.
This dessert is best when served immediately while the melted chocolate is still warm and runny.

Lisa's Cappellini With Rose Sauce and Crab Recipe

Lisa's Cappellini With Rose Sauce and Crab Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound Jumbo Lump Crab, divided
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
3 tablespoons basil, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound Cappellini pasta, cooked
Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until soft, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add half of the crab meat and stir. Add the tomatoes and basil. Let simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or standing blender) pulverize the mixture.
Stir in heavy cream to desired creaminess. Cook for an additional minute. Stir in the remaining crab and cook to heat through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve crab sauce over the Cappellini pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Kitchen Boss Gloria's Tiramisu

Kitchen Boss Gloria's Tiramisu

Ingredients:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup water
1 small box instant French Vanilla Pudding
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 cups cold espresso (Gloria uses decaf instant)
32 (approx) ladyfingers
1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

Beat together the condensed milk, water and pudding mix. Chill in fridge for 1 hour.
In a bowl, beat the cream to soft peaks. Whisk the pudding mixture to smooth texture and fold in the whipped cream. Chill for 20 minutes.
Have a 9 x 13 inch serving dish ready. Pour cold espresso into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Whisk the pudding/cream mixture to lighten.
Spread a thin layer of pudding mixture on the bottom of the serving dish. Dip each ladyfinger into the espresso, both sides, and layer in the serving dish. Spread another even layer of pudding mixture over. Sift 1/2 of the cocoa over to cover. Repeat the dipping/layering of ladyfingers. Spread over the remaining pudding mixture. Sift over the remaining cocoa. Place tiramisu in the fridge to rest for 6 hours or overnight.