Tip to Tail Gourmet

My daughter sent me this recipe, she tried it first and was so happy with it, and the cold fall nights were the perfect time to try it.

I admit, I had to do a little shopping because there were a few things that I don’t regularly keep on hand, but it was worth a run to the store! It think it took about 30 minutes start to finish, to pull together, so that adds up to a great weeknight meal as well.

Ingredients:

• 18 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• Salt & pepper
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 T fish sauce
• 2 t sugar
• 6 oz cremini mushrooms (can sub white mushrooms) trimmed and thinly sliced
• 6 oz snow peas, strings removed and cut in half
• 2 t Thai Red Curry Paste
• 2 T lime juice
• 1/4-1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Pat chicken dry, season with salty& pepper. Heat oil in large sauce pan until just smoking. Brown chicken lightly, 2-3 minutes per side and transfer to a plate and cover.
2. Ad shallot to pan and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, coconut milk, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, and sugar. Scrape up any browned bits.
3. Add browned chicken and any juices that have accumulated, bring to a simmer about 10 minutes. Flip chicken halfway through. Remove chicken to a cutting board, cool slightly and shred.
4. Return soup to a simmer, stir in mushrooms & snow peas, cooking until tender, about three minutes. Whisk lime juice, curry paste and remaining fish sauce together in a small bowl. Remove soup from heat and stir in lime/curry mixture and shredded chicken. Let sit for about 2 minutes while chicken heats through. Taste for seasoning, add salt/pepper as needed.
5. Garnish individual portions with a healthy sprinkle of fresh cilantro and enjoy!

These little one bite appetizers were a big hit as an appetizer served with champagne, so start off the evening!

I saw something along these lines, I can’t remember where, but it was easy enough to remember, or at least inspire.

You will need:

• about a dozen really small potatoes, I used Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes
• 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• egg salad (see below)

Take about a dozen baby potatoes, boiled in salt water until tender, and left to cool. Then pop them in the fridge to firm up and make them easy to slice in half.

Meanwhile, make some egg salad:

• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 1 stalk of celery, finely diced
• 3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1-2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2-1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt & pepper, to taste

I made my egg salad in a mini processor, and it yielded a wonderful and smooth purée, with just enough texture. The celery needs to be really small or it clogs the piping tip.

Take potato half and remove a small divot with a melon baller, this will give a nice spot to pipe your egg salad, place a healthy dollop and top with crumbled bacon or a little caviar.

These are quick easy and delicious! Your guests will think you are a star!!

With an excess of white chocolate in the cupboard, I decided these would make some yummy Halloween treats. In fact, they make make another appearance at Christmas.

The recipe, from SallysBakingAddition.com, is quite similar to Bakers One Bowl Brownies, and you can make it on one bowl. I baked the batter in a jelly roll pan lined with foil instead of a 13 x 9 pan, for half the usual time. This yielded a thinner brownie that was easily cut with small cookie cutters. The cut shapes were covered in a chocolate ganache, and/or melted white chocolate drizzle, in lieu of white chips in the batter, and I also skipped the frosting that went with the original. I used cookie cutters that were just one or two bites in size, so these are wonderful little nibbles to have around when you want a little something sweet, or to share them with friends. This must have yielded 60-70 little bites.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (230g; 2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 6 ounces(170g) pure white chocolate, coarsely chopped*
• 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• optional: 1 cup (180g) white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13 inch pan or line jelly roll pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished brownies out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and chopped white chocolate. Melt in 30 second increments, whisking after each, until completely smooth. Whisk in the sugar until completely combined, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Whisk in the flour and salt, then fold in the white chocolate chips (optional) until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, 15 minutes for jelly roll pan, covering loosely with aluminum foil halfway through. Test the brownies with a toothpick at the 30 minute mark. Insert it into the center of the pan. If it comes out with wet batter, the brownies are not done. If there are only a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done. Keep checking every 2 minutes until you have moist crumbs. My brownies take 32 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. If cutting into shapes, place in refrigerator for an hour, or more, so brownies are firm. Drizzle cut shapes with chocolate ganache (see recipe below) or melted white chocolate. Add sprinkles if desired.

Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons melted margarine or 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Combine melted margarine or oil, cocoa, and hot water.
• Blend in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.
• Pour or spread on brownies or cake.
• Glaze will firm and almost harden when cool.

I recommend using Coconut Oil, in lieu of Margarine or other oils, since it solidifies at a higher temperature (about 70° F). This will give a better chance of not getting runny at room temperature. Though the recipe says it will harden, it’s not like the Magic Shell you pour on ice cream, it is softer than that.

Delicious recipe from Chicago Tribune Health & Family section, which turns out to be a recipe from @kitchn, which I really love. The thing that grabbed me about this was the fennel. It’s an ingredient I don’t use much, so I put this on my shopping list. This packs a wonderful, cumulative punch of heat, I highly suggest giving it a try. Plus, it’s ready in 30 minutes!

https://www.thekitchn.com/one-pot-spicy-sausage-and-tomato-pasta-23077666

Ingredients:

• 12 oz smoked andouille sausage
• 1/2 medium fennel bulb
• 1 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 12 oz dried linguine pasta
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup fresh basil, plus more for garnish
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Cut andouille sausage crosswise into 1/2 inch rounds and thinly slice 1/2 medium fennel bulb. Place both in straight sided skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté lightly. Add 4 cups of water, dried pasta, 2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil stirring, and turning pasta with tongs to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al sentence and the liquid is mostly evaporated. This is about 10 minutes. Meanwhile tear fresh basil leaves and add the last two minutes of cooking.
3. Remove from heat and taste, seasoning with more salt as needed. Garnish with fresh basil.

When I looked in fridge for lunch today, there wasn’t anything obvious, so I got to work and started some pizza dough. I figured by the time I decided on some topping ideas and pulled a salad together, the dough might be ready. I cut the rising time a little short, but I didn’t notice any impact from that, I still got a wonderful, thin crust, with the just the right amount of chewiness.

I went with my favorite pizza dough recipe from Bobby Flay, it hasn’t let me down yet! https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/basic-pizza-dough-recipe-1973255.amp There is some leftover to freeze too!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4-ounce packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Whisk 1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees F) and the sugar in a bowl; sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil.
2. Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Gradually stir with a wooden spoon to make a rough dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, dusting with more flour if necessary. Form into 2 balls. Brush 2 large bowls with olive oil, add a ball of dough to each and turn to coat with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Roll out and top as desired, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze up to 1 month.

For the toppings I went with caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms, crumbled Boursin cheese, shredded parmesan and mozzarella, and topped with fresh chopped thyme and scallions.

Roll the dough out very thinly and sprinkle cheeses and onions & mushrooms all around. Bake pizza on middle rack at 450 F for 10-12 minutes, until Cheese is bubbly and crust starts to brown around the edges and on the bottom.

This is such a staple, along side a fresh green salad, it makes a wonderful lunch anytime of year. Enjoy it all with a favorite glass of white wine as a mid-day meal on the weekend, or with a creamy cappuccino for brunch!

• 1 (9-inch) frozen ready-to-bake pie crust (MUST be deep dish)

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup half-and-half

• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence

• Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

• 1 and 1/2 cups diced/cubed cooked ham (leftover holiday ham or store-bought)

• 1 cup swiss cheese, freshly grated (I used gruyere.)

• 1 cup cheddar cheese, freshly grated

• Optional garnish: chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place unwrapped frozen pie crust on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly.

2. Add the butter to a nonstick pan and melt over medium-high heat. Add in the diced onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove, set aside, and allow to cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Then whisk in the half-and-half, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Gently stir in the cubed ham and both cheeses. Stir in the cooked onion and garlic. 

5. Pour filling into the pre-baked pie crust (still on the baking sheet) and bake on the lower oven rack for 35 to 42 minutes, or until set (it might be a little jiggly in the middle)

A grabbed a box of crystalized ginger at the store the other day, it just called out to me, and I’ve been snacking on it ever since. I started looking around for ideas of ways to use it, besides to up the game on the gingersnaps I have plans to make. Well, there are lots of creative and yummy ideas to give a try.

• Chop and add to batter for cookies, such as ginger snaps, or quick breads like gingerbread, orange bread or banana bread.
• Melt butter with diced Crystallized Ginger, fresh lemon juice and sliced green onions in a saucepan. Spoon over hot rice and serve with chicken or fish.

• Sprinkle finely chopped pieces as a finishing touch on apple pie a la mode or a whipped cream-topped brownie.
• Combine diced Crystallized Ginger with nuts, brown sugar and spices for a baked apple or pear filling.
• Add chunks to a stir-fry for a sweet and spicy bite.
• Dip Crystallized Ginger pieces in melted chocolate. Let cool and serve as a special after dinner treat.
• Add to water and sugar mixture to make ginger-infused simple syrup. Strain before adding to drinks, such as iced tea.
• Sprinkle diced Crystallized Ginger into fruit salad for a spicy, zesty flavor lift.
• Add to a homemade cranberry sauce with orange zest.

These ideas and more recipes can be found here https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thegazette.com/2009/12/17/10-ways-to-use-crystallized-ginger%3ftemplate=amphtml