Spinach,Pesto and Cheese Lasagna 3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach,thawed,squeezed dry
1 (7 ounce) package prepared pesto
Oil to coat baking dish
4 cups bottled chunky pasta sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8-ounce package
2 cups grated Fontina cheese Blend ricotta and Parmesan in medium bowl. Season cheeses with salt and pepper;stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl. Brush 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side atop sauce. Spread 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese mixture over in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over ricotta by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce,noodles,ricotta cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover lasagna with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Uncover;sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Bake lasagna until heated through,sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted,about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 8 servings. Cherry Pie 1 can unsweetened cherries
1 cup granulated sugar
6 level teaspoons cornstarch to 2/3 cup cherry juice
Pinch of salt
1 or 2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring (optional) Heat cherry juice,cornstarch and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Pour juice mixture over cherries in an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes,then at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Festive Curried Fruit 1 (29 ounce) can pear halves
1 (29 ounce) can Freestone peach halves
1 (17 ounce) can Royal Anne light sweet cherries,pitted
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges
1 (17 ounce) can apricots (peeled)
1/2 cup white raisins
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup white wine Drain all fruit,reserving juice. Measure 3/4 cup fruit juice and set aside. Soak raisins in hot water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain. Mix fruit juice with sugar,salt,butter and flour. Heat,but do not boil. Stir until thick. Fold sauce into drained fruit and raisins. Add curry powder and wine. Let stand for 3 hours. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. May be refrigerated and reheated next day. Improves with age. Serves 8 to 10. Ginger Jam 1 pound (approximately) fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 3/4 ounce package powdered fruit pectin
5 cups granulated sugar Remove outer skin from ginger root and cut ginger into 1-inch thick slices. Place in a 5 quart microwave-safe casserole and fill 3/4 full with cold water. Microwave on HIGH (600-700 watts) 25 minutes (it should boil for 15 minutes and will take about 10 minutes to reach boiling point). Drain ginger in colander. Return to casserole and fill 3/4 full with cold water. Microwave on HIGH until ginger is tender-crisp and can be pierced with a fork,about 45 minutes. Let stand,covered,about 10 minutes. Drain in colander,return to casserole and fill 3/4 full with fresh cold water. Let stand 15 minutes,then drain well. In food processor or by hand,chop ginger until it is the size of rice grains. Do not puree. There should be about 2 1/2 cups of chopped ginger. Place it in the casserole. Add 1 cup cold lemon juice and fruit pectin. Microwave on HIGH until mixture comes to a full boil,about 5 minutes. Immediately stir in all sugar. Continue cooking on HIGH until it reaches a rolling boil. Allow it to boil hard for a full minute. Remove from microwave and use a metal spoon to skim off any foam that might appear on the top. Immediately ladle into hot clean jars,leaving 1/4-inch space at top. With a damp cloth,wipe jar rims clean and add lids. Jars should then be covered with hot paraffin and sealed with hot lids or freeze. Meagan’s Pasketti Sauce (Ummy Nummy Super Meaty Pasketti Sauce) I make this sauce in a big batch and freeze the leftovers,it makes about four to six meals serving four big appetites. A hit when we have dinner guests,and not as hard to make as it sounds. 1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
About 8 to 10 large mushrooms,sliced as thinly as possible
1 or 2 large cloves garlic (depends on how garlicky you
like it,I love garlic so I use a lot)
1 bottle red wine (good wine or cooking wine,the better
the wine,the better the sauce)
2 tablespoons Italian seasonings (or if you have fresh Italian herbs on hand,
use them to your taste,but it does turn out much better that way)
1 large can tomato SAUCE
2 large cans PEELED CRUSHED tomatoes (you can also use fresh
tomatoes,but this makes the sauce really watery)
1 small can tomato PASTE
1/4 cup each Parmesan and Romano (not totally necessary,but the
Parmesan is REALLY good)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar (helps cut the acidity)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I’ve never really measured on a lot of the stuff,but it sounds about right) In a skillet over medium high heat,saut Praline Kahlua Brie 1 (13 to 15 ounce) brie cheese round (baby brie)
1/2 cup pecans,toasted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Kahlua (coffee flavored liqueur)
2 tablespoons brown sugar Remove packaging and then slice rind from top of cheese round and place on an oven or microwave-safe plate or dish. Combine pecans,Kahlua,and brown sugar. Spread over the top of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 3-5 minutes or just until soft or microwave on HIGH for 30-60 seconds,just until soft,but not melting. Serve warm or at room temperature with gingersnaps and slices of red and green pears or apples. Phyllo-Wrapped Brie 8 sheets commercial frozen phyllo pastry,thawed
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 (15 ounce) round herbed brie cheese
Fresh herbs
Kitchen string Spray 1 sheet of phyllo with cooking spray,keeping remaining pastry covered with a slightly damp towel to prevent it from drying out. Place Brie in center of sheet;wrap phyllo around Brie. Repeat procedure 3 times,inverting Brie each time;set aside. Layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo pastry,spraying each with cooking spray;place wrapped Brie in center. Bring corners of phyllo to center of Brie to cover,gently gathering and pressing together in center to resemble a package. Carefully tie with kitchen string. Coat wrapped Brie with cooking spray,and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden,shielding top of pastry with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Remove from oven;let stand about 20 minutes before serving. Remove string,and garnish with fresh herbs,if desired. Serve with crackers. Yields 12 to 15 appetizer servings. Mexican Baked Brie Banana
1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
Cilantro
Jalapenos
Almonds
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
Puff Pastry Sheet
Egg Slice banana very thinly. De-seed and chop jalapeno. Chop cilantro leaves. Toast almonds until golden. In a saucepan,combine marmalade and Grand Marnier and cook until bubbly. Set aside one-quarter cup of mixture. Add jalapenos to remaining mixture and saut Blueberry Brie1 (2.2 pound) wheel Brie cheese
1 (16 ounce) can blueberry pie filling Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place Brie cheese in a baking dish. Pour blueberry pie filling over the top. Bake until hot,about 10 to 15 minutes. Restaurant Biga Chocolate Gooey Cake Source:Chef-owner Bruce Auden,Restaurant Biga,San Antonio,Texas Yield:8 portions 6 tablespoons unsalted butter,divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
6 large eggs,separated
Ganache balls (recipe follows) as needed Using 2 tablespoons butter,grease 8 (6 ounce) custard cups or ramekins. Use 1/4 cup sugar to dust cups;reserve. In double boiler,melt chocolate and remaining butter;stir until smooth. (Alternately,microwave the mixture,checking and stirring at 30-second intervals.) Let cool. Whip egg yolks until thick and lightly colored and tripled in volume;reserve. Whip egg whites until they are on the verge of forming very stiff peaks. Add remaining sugar;whip until very stiff peaks form;reserve. Stir some cooled chocolate into egg yolks. Add remaining chocolate. Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. Pour small amount of batter into each custard cup. Place 1 ganache ball in cup. Add batter until cup is 4/5 full. Bake in oven preheated to 325 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes,checking periodically,until cake is crusty on top but still gooey in center. Let rest 5 to 6 minutes. Use small knife to loosen cake. Invert onto dessert plate. Serve warm with cr | |
