Dalla Mia Cucina

Poached Apples

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:58:00 +0000

I recently poached these apples for a gluten and grain free Apple Flognarde dessert for my other blog, but in my opinion, poached apples alone are worthy enough of their own write up.. so versatile, Wether eaten alone, or sliced up for a galette, poached apples are so easy, and really make for an elegant accompaniment to dessert recipes!

Poached Apples Ingredients

8-10 "mini" apples

1 cup Marsala or Brandy

1/4 cup water

1/8 cup sugar

5-6 crushed allspice

5-6 cardamom pods crushed

Poached Apple Directions

1. Prepare apples by peeling them, but leaving the stem intact. Core the inside of the apple carefully from the bottom.

2. Add wine, water, sugar and spices to pot. Let liquid come to a boil, turn heat down to medium, cook till sugar is dissolved. Lower heat, carefully add apples, cook on low till apples are fork tender. *Keep an eye on the pot, as the liquid evaporates quickly if heat is too high. When apples are done, remove from liquid and set aside.

Strawberry Ice Cream and Fresh Berry Tart | Gluten Free

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:32:00 +0000

This is the most simple of desserts and my favorite 'go to' recipe for a gluten free pastry shell as well!
Add regular or dairy free strawberry ice cream and fresh berries with a frosty dash of powdered sugar, and you have an elegant dessert that will wow even your most discriminating gluten based dessert lovers! This crust is an almond shortbread crust recipe that I have used many times and absolutely LOVE! It makes for a great afternoon tea cookie too. :)

Gluten Free Tart with Strawberry Ice Cream and Fresh Berries

Ingredients
Gluten Free Almond Shortbread Crust
1.5 Quarts Coconut Milk Dairy-Free Frozen Dessert
or regular Strawberry Ice Cream
2 Pints 2 varieties of Fresh Berries (cleaned and dried)
Powdered Sugar for dusting top
Tart Pan

Gluten Free Almond Shortbread Crust
1/2 cup cold butter, room temperature
1/8 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup fine almond flour (meal)
1/3 cup “gluten free” *all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt

For Shortbread Crust
Pre-Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Pulse almond flour with sugar in a food processor, add cornstarch, gluten free flour and salt. Pulse till well combined. Add butter and vanilla, mix just enough for the dough to start gathering together. Lightly butter the bottom of a tart pan or a cheesecake pan and up the sides a quarter of an inch. Press the shortbread mixture on the bottom. Pierce with a fork. Bake the crust in the pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. (till golden)

Directions
Have ice cream ready at a soft stage but not melted. When tart shell is cool, fill with ice cream, blending with swirls. Put back in freezer for 20 minutes. When ice cream is firm, take out of freezer and top with fresh fruit and dust with powdered sugar. It's ready and yummy to enjoy at this point!

Enjoy!
xoxo

Roasted Italian Sausage

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:27:00 +0000

This recipe contains simple ingredients that when prepared together with the balsamic, herbs and olive oil have a fragrant aroma that's out of this world! Comfort food that can be enjoyed by all!

Roasted Italian Sausage, Carrots & Potatoes

Ingredients
2 pkgs. Sausage of choice cut in quarters
4 large russett potatoes cut into quarters
1/2 lb. Asparagus cut in 2-3 inch lengths (discard the woody ends)
1 pkg. Mushrooms, Crimini or Button cleaned and cut in half
3/4 cups spanish or kalamata olives (not canned)
6 sliced carrots
5 leaves fresh basil chiffonade (pronounced: shee foh nahd)
2 fresh sprigs oregano
1 yellow onion sliced
2 cloves chopped garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar (*good quality very important)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. salt

Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 400°

Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large roasting pan.
Layer all ingredients into the LARGE roasting pan. Drizzle around two or more tablespoons of olive oil on top. Add ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix well.

Cook covered for 1/2 an hour. Remove lid and turn meat and vegetables. Continue cooking without lid and turn meat and vegetables frequently drizzling more balsamic vinegar and a little more olive oil.. so it doesn't get dried out (but also not to drench).
Cooking time will be approximately an hour and a half.
Veggies should be soft and sausage cooked through.

Genoise Sponge Strawberry Tiramisu Cups

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 14:00:00 +0000

Buon Giorno Friends!!

I am soo excited about these little dessert cups.. I've been seeing jars filled with delectable goodies all over Pinterest since the first day I joined. Just coming from two weeks of baking and graduation preps, I had a few ingredients leftover in my fridge that I wanted to use up.

In my pantry I had these canning jars that I bought at the hardware store, intending to can plums.. but the jars unused were just waiting for me to wash the dust off and putt off no longer there use. So voila.. perfect timing and an even more so perfect strawberry and syrup infused dessert choice for these mini's.

"Strawberries from my garden"..

These are Alpine strawberries. An intense flavored runner less berry that grows large and has much fruit. My healthy strawberries come to you with a little companion planting of marigolds. I love marigolds for there many uses. They are perfect for warding off pests, but they also keep the flesh healthy. I'm not sure exactly why.. I wish I had studied more botany, but when I first started growing marigolds and calendula it was to make a skin soothing tincture. Marigolds contain natural salicylic acid, and help to heal bruised skin. I use to make the tincture and leave it in the refrigerator.. just for a few days at a time.. for a soothing tonic. Again, not a botanist or chemist here.. but I did work in the skincare industry for quite a few years. Many of our high priced items had salicylic acid in them for toning, healing blemishes and minimizing pore size. There ya go.. you should all be growing Marigolds or French Calendula Flowers!

Back to my recipe.. :)

After all these years of blogging my family recipes, I realize I don't have an actual recipe for Tiramisu here at Dalla Mia Cucina. As I was perusing my own recipe posts, I noticed that I have a picture of a holiday dinner with all the yummy food items, including a dish of heavenly tiramisu, but no recipe. And even now this isn't a traditional Tiramisu, but many of the layer elements are here and can be used in your own tiramisu cake.. or any party cake where you want to impress your guests and family with a dessert that will leave them coming back for more.

Here in this recipe I'm giving you what I think is the most important element of this classic Italian dessert.. the Génoise Sponge. Not just any sponge, a genoise sponge originating in the city of Genoa. Some call it a genoese sponge, no matter, it's all good and perfect!

What makes this sponge unique is that it uses no leavening. The volume and airiness of this cake is derived from whipping air into it with beaters. This all takes place at the beginning stages, first warming your eggs and sugar over a warm water bath, beating it and making it light and frothy, then putting it on an electric beater stand and whipping it till the "ribbon" stage. Alternating with the addition of a soft wheat flour, in this case cake flour, and melted butter. This crumb is firm and open and holds up wonderfully to sugar syrups and espresso. YUMM!! You can imagine where this is going.. right??

After I cut out my little cake shapes to fit inside the glass jars, I douse them with the marsala espresso syrup, then layer with the mascarpone cream, topped with macerated strawberries, adding another sponge layer, another dousing.. topped with chantilly cream and let soak up in the refrigerator for 3-5 hours. When I took the lids off, I smoothed the cream and sprinkled a generous topping of grated chocolate. Good quality.. of your choice! This isn't traditional.. traditionally in a cake form I would use a good quality unsweetened cocoa powder.

I hope you try this recipe.. I know you'll love it, especially the Genoise.. And if not this particular recipe.. definitely make dessert in these individual sized glass jars!

...and the recipe!!

French Quarter Beignets & Scalded Milk with Espresso and Cinnamon

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 14:00:00 +0000

I love creating recipes, I have to tell you.. I very rarely purchase cookbooks. I do have a grand selection of cooking magazines, but that is mainly because I love reading the articles and finding out "what's current" in the food industry for the season and year. And for the photo's.. I LOVE the photo's! But cookbooks.. I probably have 4-5 that are mainstay's. My regional Italian that I've had for close to 30 years, A French cookbook with beautiful egg, herb, cheese and local meat and fish dishes that are simple but infused with flavor, a Spanish Tapa cookbook, My English Tea cookbook and a wedding gift cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens Cooking that I love. It has classic cooking recipes that can be changed around so easily to suit my cooking style, and the foundational techniques were wonderful to hone my cooking skills as a young bridem 25 years ago.

But recently I came across a website of Cajun and New Orleans style cooking. A new LOVE! I am so excited to try out these recipes and get my hands on a really good New Orleans Cuisine cookbook. If you happen to know of a really good one.. please let me know!! I remember as a young woman going to an evening New Orleans Jazz Concert at a restaurant in the heart of Anaheim, Cal. where I was first introduced to Blackened Catfish. I haven't had it since but it left such a remarkable mark in my memory banks. Blackened fish will definitely be one of the first Cajun recipes I make.

This recipe for French Quarter Beignets, pronounced ben-YAYS comes from the web site, New Orleans Cuisine by Danno. Please, thumb through his many AMAZING recipes and take a look at his other web sites too. I know I will be returning many times!

These beignets were so light and delicious with my DMC style Cafe au Lait. Hot out of the frying pan straight into the powdered sugar and right onto a plate ready to eat and enjoy with a morning cup of coffee. For the coffee.. my kids love the way my mother in law makes hers. So when they are involved in our morning coffee time, they're treated to this sweet treat and drink just the way they like them. We scald the milk and then add it to a cup ready with a teaspoon of espresso powder and a teaspoon of turbinado sugar. Sprinkle a dusting of cinnamon on top. It's so creamy and yummy.. perfect to go with your hot beignets!

French Quarter Beignet Recipe

1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast
3/4 Cup Water (110 degrees F)
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Beaten Egg
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 Cups A.P. Flour
1/8 Cup Shortening
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Powdered Sugar in a shaker or sifter

Combine the Yeast, Water, and Sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (You could also make this in a food processor, or the old fashioned way, by hand). Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes, then add the Salt, Egg, and Evaporated Milk. Mix on low speed, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the shortening. When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated. At this time I always turn the dough onto a floured bench to finish by hand, just like when I make bread; it's a touch thing. Knead the dough adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise (I made mine last night and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator).

After the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2" thick. With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2" wide strips. Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction. Place the Beignets on a floured baking sheet to let rise about 40 minutes in a warm place (I place them in a barely warm oven).

When the Beignets have risen, heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees. Place 2-3 Beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil). Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar (because the dough doesn't contain much sugar, you will want a lot!). Best served with Cafe au Lait. Enjoy!

Makes about 2 dozen.

I cut my dough into rectangles.. but as you read the recipe you will see he cuts his into diamond shapes. I think that must look so pretty and I'm going to try that next time.

I fried mine in my cast iron skillet. It worked out wonderfully! Make sure the heat is hot enough so that the dough starts cooking and turning golden pretty quickly. You also want to make sure you continue turning them over. Have a wire basket type spoon ready to remove them and put them on a double paper lined plate.

So golden and beautiful!!

The powdering stage was the funniest stage for me the day I made these. It happened to be a beautiful breezy day and I had the window open enjoying the wind coming in. I mean, it was REALLY blowing to the point were the flame under the pan was fluttering all over the place. Don't ask me why.. but I had the tray of beignets right out of the pan near an open window.. dusting them with the powdered sugar. Definitely a site I, as well as my kitchen was. I read another recipe that instructs you too have a paper bag filled with powdered sugar and then to toss the hot beignets into the bag. That would have been the ideal route to take! So much quicker and cleaner!

Shepherd's Cottage Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 16:41:00 +0000

This amazingly tasty dish has been making an appearance throughout Europe for hundreds of years. Mutton, lamb, beef and even fish, can easily find it's way into this British pie. I was first introduced to an English Shepherds pie early in my college days while on a short one month missions trip abroad. Previously in my home, we made this with a pastry crust, but recently an English girlfriend of mine told me that they make theirs without a crust all together! So easy to prepare and still just as satisfying!

This recipe is pretty much allergy friendly and has ingredients that can easily be adapted to fit your dietary needs. Hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients

6 cups Mashed Potatoes (recipe follows)

2 cups Brown Sauce (recipe follows)

2 lbs. Ground Lamb or Beef

½ Onion

Salt and pepper

Butter or margarine

3 cups Dubliner Cheese Grated, I use Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese (*Please see note at the bottom)

3 Carrots cleaned and cut into small squares and cooked till tender.

1 Cup Peas (frozen not canned) cooked

6 Crimini Mushrooms cleaned and sliced

Mashed Potatoes

2-3 pounds russet potatos

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine

3/4 to 1 cup raw milk or *Rice milk

Salt and white pepper to taste

Peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. In a large heavy saucepan simmer potatoes in salted water to cover by 1 inch 10 minutes, or until tender, and drain in a colander. In pan or bowl combine potatoes, butter or margarine, and 3/4-cup milk. With a potato masher or blender mash potatoes until just smooth, adding more milk and butter if necessary to make a creamy but not pasty potato. *Over cooking and blending your potatoes will make them too starchy. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Brown Sauce

3 shallots or scallions, finely chopped

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

10-½ -ounces beef broth, canned is fine

1 Tb. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce (this is gluten free)

1 Tsp. Fresh Tarragon leaves finely chopped

½ Tsp. thyme

Salt, pepper

Gluten Free Beurre Manie (recipe follows)

Sauté chopped shallots or scallions in butter. Gradually add wortsheshire and beef broth. Let it come to a boil and add the seasonings. Cook down for a few minutes. Add Beurre manié to thicken to taste. Let simmer for a few minutes and strain. Set aside.

Ground Lamb or Beef

Finely chop ½ an onion. Sauté in 2 Tbsp. butter. Add ground meat and cook. Drain liquids. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Vegetables

Mix prepared vegetables together.

Beurre Manié

Ingredients:
1oz Butter
3/4oz Cornflour

1 Blend the cornflour and butter together in a small dish.

2 Add the Beurre Manié in very small lumps to the sauce that you wish to thicken, a few at a time.

3 A good way to stop the sauce going lumpy is to add a few lumps on the tip of a knife, scraped down the side of the pan. This melts slowly, ensuring no lumps.

4 Stir into the hot liquid until completely blended.

5 Return pan to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring all the time until the sauce is thickened.

Preparations

In a lasagna or sheet cake pan, start with mashed potatoes layer your ingredients, always adding cheese and sauce after each layer. Repeat process until you end with mashed potatoes on top. Potatoes can be piped on for a decorative finish but it is not necessary. Bake Shepherds Pie in a pre-heated 375° oven for 20 minutes. If potatoes start to brown too quickly loosely cover with foil.

This recipe can also be found on my allergy friendly blog, A Favored Life.

*Cheese can be omitted for those with a dairy intolerance, or substitute your favorite dairy free cheese.

** Any milk ingredient in this recipe can be substituted with rice, coconut or almond milk to fit your dietary need.

Chunky Applesauce

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 22:33:00 +0000

It's been such a long time since I've posted a recipe, but apple season just ended and we had a wonderful crop from our tree this year! Cinnamon and spice and everything nice has permeated throughout the house with apple fare filling the cupboards and dessert trays.

Now are thoughts of, holiday foods and family gatherings coming up in just in a few weeks!

I wanted to share at least one recipe with photos.

This is a simple crock pot applesauce recipe that makes such a yummy, low sugar, chunky monkey type of sauce! Every slow cooker heats differently, so you decide how long you cook your apple sauce for. The original recipe I read said 4 hours for a saucy sauce, but I found that 3 hours gave me some chunky pieces which I prefer.

My apple tree produces a Fuji Apple, but I also added Red Delicious apples to cut down on the sugar addition. Plus, my previous batch of apple butter took a lot more apples than I expected.

For a completely sugar free apple sauce, find out from your produce man what the sweetest apples are for the season!!

Yield: 3 ~ 16 oz Jars

Prep Time: 45 minutes to an hour (unless you have a rotary apple peeler)

Cook Time: 3-4 hours

INGREDIENTS

A mix of 6 pounds Fuji and Red Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks.

1/4 cup light brown sugar (if needed)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in the Crock Pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours.

2. For chunky applesauce as pictured, stir and mash the apples with a large spoon close to the end of the cook time. Store applesauce in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or freeze in freezer jars for up to 6 months.

Enjoy!!

The Inspired Plate | December | Cast Iron

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 14:00:00 +0000

I always have mixed feelings this time of year. Our last post usually means changes with our TIP group of gals. We have all grown in our art, our photography and even our businesses. It's a good thing.. but it often means our schedules change and we all can't keep up with the demands. I'm going to miss those gals who won't be participating next year!

This last post of the season is Cast Iron Cookware/ or Favorite pots and pans. My favorites are definitely my cast iron. So.. everything cooked here today has been baked, browned and grilled on three different forms of cast iron. My Artisan Boule bread was baked in an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven, my leg of lamb was warmed/browned in my favorite antique cast iron pan, and my panini sandwhich was pressed and grilled on my cast iron grill and weighted down with a cast iron pan.

So here we go..

Grilled Rosemary Lamb Panini
with Currant Jelly, Spinach and English Cheddar
on a Fresh Artisan Boule

I hope you enjoy the photo journaling of this recipe.. I enjoyed preparing it just as much as my little family enjoyed eating it!

I used the no knead procedure here. It made a WONDERFUL dough with beautiful air pockets, crunchy crust and a perfectly chewy crumb! The best recipe I have yet used for bread!

Baked in an enameled cast iron pot. So easy and quick!!

Mmmm.. perfect loaf!!

This pretty little piece of pottery is from my daughter Kat, who bought it for me at her college's Art Department Christmas Boutique. She bought it specifically for my photo stylings. :) I love the colors and have decided these shades really do need to appear more in my photo shoots!

I made a rosemary & herb crusted roasted lamb for Christmas dinner. It was SO moist and made the perfect grilled panini sandwiches!

Spread a hearty helping of currant jam on the inside slices of bread, thick slices of English cheddar cheese, good sized portions of lamb slices. Spread butter on outsides of bread. Place on hot cast iron grill and place a heavy cast iron pan or pot on top to weight it down. Turn over to grill on other side. When done add spinach.. Voila!

Be sure to head on over to see what my dear friend Stacey Siegal | Kitchen Serendipity | Longobat Key & Bradenton FL Photographer is cooking and photographing!
And check out her beautiful recipes and food photos when your there.. this gal can cook!! :)

Till next year..
Buon Appetito!!

Celebrate | The Inspired Plate's December Issue

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Celebrate.. The Inspired Plate's theme for the month of December! We all came to this

month with different idea's and varying plans, but all of our ideas were novel just the same.

I really intended to end this year with a "BANG".. photographically that is. Until December

actually came along and that BANG went "BUST" with all sorts of unexpected expectations.

Do you ever feel like your head is in a whirlwind and it's spinning round and round like one

of those awful tea cup rides at Disneyland? :) Honestly, I have been feeling overwhelmed

like that since October!

"I’m hurried and frazzled and sometimes bedazzled,

I’m a jewel in the rough on a pink powder puff,

I’ve got here to go there to go everywhere a kids show,

Behind me, beside me, around me, “Please guide me!”

Mom do this and mom do that, My dear husband reminds,

“Don’t forget that”. I need a break, and I really do mean it,

Just need to slow down so I don’t go ballistic,

Inhale, exhale, don’t forget to breathe,

I think if I pray, I’ll remember what I believe,

On the wings of an eagle, He mounts me up high,

Don’t have to be weary, with Him I can fly,

He gives strength to the tuckered, and to him who lacks might,

He increases with power to those who’d take flight.

How absolutely awesome the Creator I know,

So down on my knees in prayer I shall go."

By Laurie M.Vengoechea ©

It's in one of these moments that I wrote this.. tap tap tap.. "I must remember to take

my own advice!" Needless to say, I didn't get everything done for this post that I would

have liked to. I did do all the shooting, but some of the other AMAZING gals are putting

together their end of the year Magazine Covers. WOW! I am so impressed and if time permits..

which, by golly Miss Molly I'm going to make happen, I too will put my efforts in creating

my magazine issue with the recipes included! I did start my Prep School layout.. but by 7pm

I knew I was too fizzled out to get beyond these photos. So here we go...

One of the photos I'm including here is my DMC Italian Filled Cookie. It's my favorite

cookie that our family has been making for years. It's quite similar to the Sicilian

Cucidati Fig Cookie, with the exception that mine is made with apple butter instead of Fig.

I will have this recipe up soon! Over the years my Dalla Mia Cucina cookie has had

quite a few searches and raves. If you are looking to get your hands on this recipe soon..

you can find it here. Although.. in my updated recipe I add a new ingredient that cuts down a bit on the sweetness and ads another flavor component that rocks the recipe! "Espresso Powder". :)

Our yearly Christmas celebration wouldn't even start without my Manicotti, Meatballs and Sausage! My kids beg us to stay home for the holidays to ensure they get their fill of this Holiday

favorite. And then there is my traditional hot spiced cider with my DMC twist.. cherries!

It's yummy for the whole family.. and perfect for a night of playing kid friendly games by the fire!

Before you go any further, please be sure to visit my friend Jennifer Grant | Metro Detroit Editorial Food Photographer. I'm so pleased that she has been with us all year and will continue

to rock our socks off with her amazing photography for another year!

I am SOOO excited to get through the circle this month.. we have some amazing talent here

at The Inspired Plate and it has been an honor to watch them grow throughout this year. I have

made friendships that I will forever treasure.. and even though some of the girls may not be with us full time this next year, we will see them for Alumni Posts and they will still be an ear shot away for us to chat and gab about creativity and business advise for new growth

within our group and our own successes.

Coming January we have new themes and some new talent too, so please come back,

we look forward to your visits and your comments too! If you haven't done so yet, visit our Facebook page and become a "friend"! We love visitors!

Smokey Spicy Beef Skewers

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 22:43:00 +0000

Mrs G's Hot Pepper Jellies is a product I have mentioned a few times here at DMC. It not only is a product I photograph, but it is a product I use quite often! It makes a beautiful glaze for biscuits, a sweet and spicy addition for seasoned nuts, and as we've used hear for beef skewers, a wonderful addition to a tangy grilling sauce. But please.. PLEASE don't hesitate to eat it alone by the spoonful!! It's that YUMMY and perfectly balanced with heat on sweet!

Depending on your own style, you have a few flavor options. I love the JA-HA for it's versatility, I can puree figs, cherries, prunes or apples, and make a chutney style barbecue sauce with it, or use it plain with an addition of crushed garlic and red pepper flakes.. these would be my preferences to accompany beef. But for a chicken or fish perparation, I prefer the Jalapeño Garlic Lime, Mango Ginger and Peach habanero. (ohh the countless recipes I have yet to create) :)

For this Photo Shoot, I strictly used Mrs G's recipe from her web site. It's DE-LICIOUS! :)
Be sure to check out some of her other amazing flavor pairings and recipes!

Ingredients

1/2 cup Mrs. G's Ja-Ha pepper jelly
1/2 tsp smoky BBQ rub (I use The Spanish Tin's Smoky Spanish BBQ Rub)
1 lb boneless good quality steak, pork or chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes
Baby pattypan squash
Cherry or grape tomatoes

Instructions

For glaze, combine jelly with the BBQ Rub and warm until the jelly is melted. Remove from heat.
In a small, covered saucepan, cook squash in boiling water for 1 minute.
Alternately thread meat, squash and tomatoes on skewers. Grill skewers according to your gas or charcoal grill instructions, glazing the skewers with the reserved glaze during the last 5 minutes of grilling.

The Inspired Plate | November | A Casual Holiday Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Inspired Plate. It's the Holidays and we're shooting special foods styled in a holiday setting! I chose breakfast because the aroma of the apples and spices lingering in my house with this granola preparation always puts me in the mood for music, baking and hot tea! I can't believe another year has gone by! Starting January, we'll be celebrating 3 years with The Inspired Plate. So if you're a professional photographer with a niche for food.. definitely email us and let us know! Or visit us at our Facebook Page and leave us a comment!

Casual breakfasts are the key to a stress free day here in our household, especially during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. At least once a week I make a big batch of this granola. This is an adapted recipe that my mom happened to get from one of the cooks at our church's, (Calvary Chapel) Retreat Center here in our local San Bernardino Mountains.

What I love about this granola is the ease of changing the flavor with just a different combination of fruits, nuts and spices. My husband and I like ours with plain greek yogurt and fruit, while the kids prefer there's with milk.. and sometimes as a snack in a baggie for their lunches. This shoot was photographed using a wonderful cranberry sauce, "Crushing Cranberry" that my friend Cheryl made. She made around 200 jars for our church's Christmas Boutique. The best Cranberry Sauce with the essence of orange I've ever had!

Here is the simple granola recipe.. and please don't forget to make your way over to see the rest of the gals' festive food fare! Next up is my dear friend Kim Kelly, San Diego Food Photographer. Her amazing recipes never disappoint!

Laurie's Homemade Granola
Adapted from CC Conference Center Twin Peaks Kitchen
1 Cup Almonds
1 Cup Shredded Coconut
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp. Fresh Grated Nutmeg
6 Cups Old Fashion Oats (not quick oats)
**Chopped Apples
1 Cup Honey
3/4 Cups Salad Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, combine almonds, coconut, cinnamon and oats. Mix well.
In a small saucepan, heat honey and oil to simmer, add to the oats mixture
stirring to mix. Divide between two 9x13 or so, baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add chopped apples, stir. Bake an additional 10 minutes. When granola is cool, store in sealed containers.

** For this Holiday Granola; I made it with the slivered almonds, chopped apples, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Perfect for our breakfast celebration! But I often substitute *soaked raisins or dried cranberries with a variety of nuts and spices.

* For soaked raisins; Put your raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them steep for 5-10 minutes or over night, and then drain them thoroughly.

Peppermint Chocolate Cherry Almond Bark

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 18:12:00 +0000

Who doesn't love chocolate.. and what better, than to make it and give it away as gifts! In

my home it's a tradition to start our baking when the kids have Thanksgiving break. This week

our youngest was off earlier than usual so here we are, celebrating mom and daughter time and looking forward to the holidays with Peppermint Chocolate Cherry Almond Bark.

This is the easiest candy to make.. you don't even need a candy thermometer, which I love. Every year when I pull mine out to use, it's either broken or just not calculating the correct temperature. So voila!! No stress about running out to grab a thermometer.. this time! While I have a link to Callebaut chocolates, you can use another good quality chocolate, I think Ghirardelli Chocolates are yummy too. Quite a few years ago I was fortunate enough to find this chocolate in a local candy making store and I fell in love with the taste and texture. Oh my.. it's so buttery and smooth! I hope you enjoy.. Buon Appetito and Happy Holidays!!

Ingredients
1 block good quality dark chocolate (minus a few extra squares)
1 block good quality milk chocolate (minus a few extra squares)
* a few extra squares of chocolate for tempering
1 cup white chocolate nibs or chips
2 tsp. solid coconut oil (you can use vegetable oil also)
1 cup crushed peppermint candies
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup dried cherries
Offset spatula
Baking sheet covered with parchment paper
Wooden skewer or knife

Directions
1. In a heat proof bowl, add your white chocolate nibs and 1 tsp. of coconut oil. Heat for 1 minute in microwave oven. Stir and heat again for 30 seconds. Stir again and it should be ready.
2. On the stove top in a heavy duty pan, add 1 tsp. of coconut oil and all but a few blocks of the dark and milk chocolate. *The saved chocolate will be used for tempering. Heat on medium low heat so the chocolate melts slowly without it scorching.
3. When chocolate is melted, take it off the heat and add a few of the extra chocolate squares.
Stir till incorporated.
4. On prepared baking sheet, pour your dark/milk chocolate blend onto the paper. With the offset spatula smooth it out across the paper to fill the parchment.
5. With a spoon, drizzle the white chocolate horizontally across the dark chocolate to create lines.
((Pictured below))
6. With your skewer or knife, run up and down through the white and dark chocolates to create the swirl pattern. ((Pictured below))
7. Sprinkle Peppermint candies, dried cherries and chopped almonds on top.
8. Chill in refrigerator till firm. Cut diagonally or in long strips, or for a rough look, break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Quite a few years ago I was fortunate enough to find Callebaut Chocolate in a local candy

making store, and I fell in love with the taste and texture.

Pour the white chocolate horizontally across the dark chocolate to create lines.

With your skewer or knife, run up and down through the white and dark chocolates to create the swirl pattern.

Two Toned Cocoa and Amaretto Pizzelles

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 03:14:00 +0000

Pizzelles.. they are the quintessential Italian treat that look wonderful plated at an elegant dessert table with it's beautiful floral lace pattern and it's crisp texture. It is a quick an easy cookie to prepare that is the talk of the room at many school parties or family get-together's.

The traditional recipe calls for anise and anise seeds..yes, like my Spungna Di Biscotti Cake.. but also like the Biscotti, it works well with many flavorings. During the holidays I'll give Pizzelle cookies as gift's, side-dipped in a chocolate coating and for more of a festive look sometimes sprinkled with fine glittery candies.

Here I made a two toned pizzelle with cocoa on one side and a dousing of Amaretto in the lighter version. Oh so yummy and flavorful,
and according to my husband, addictive.

Amaretto Pizzelles
(Makes about 2-3 dozen)

3 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon amaretto liqueur
1-3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar.
Add the butter, vanilla, and amaretto.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix well.
The batter should be stiff enough to be dropped by spoon.
The batter can also be refrigerated for later use.

Cocoa Pizzelles
(Makes about 30)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sift the flour, baking powder, and cocoa together in a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

*Heat the pizzelle baker and follow the directions for How to Make a Pizzelle.
Put half a teaspoon of each, cocoa and amaretto, side by side onto the iron to achieve the two toned affect. It takes practice.. but the result is beautiful and delicious!

Orange Pomegranate Sherbet with a S.Pellegrino Splash

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 00:32:00 +0000

Spring time is the perfect season to start experimenting with fruit mixtures and ingredient concoctions. So when I received the POM Wonderful package, my mind went into overdrive. I only ended up utilizing it in two preparations.. the Raspberry Pomegranate Balsamic Glaze and this Orange Pomegranate Sherbet, but both were refreshing and enjoyable by all who tried them. I have been so impressed with all the recipes created using POM, it is healthy, full of antioxidants and a great juice to aid in digestion as well as being perfectly enjoyable on it's own.

Growing up we lived in a pomegranate rich neighborhood and it was a common fruit to enjoy, but it hasn't been until recently that creativity has been unveiled in this gorgeous fruit. Just to add.. I would have made more dishes with this juice but my kids couldn't resist drinking them on their own!

I used pomegranate and orange juice for the syrup base. I had intended on making sorbet but after reducing the two liquids the combination was too sweet. I decided instead of watering it down to add half and half till I achieved the sweetness desired. I don't know why, but it didn't curdle. It could have been the heating process that made it into a syrup, but when I took the chance and added the half and half to my base it was creamy and smooth. I cooled the mix in the refrigerator for a few hours and then processed it in my ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. It froze up perfectly and made a wonderful sherbet.

For parties, we often make a punch bowl with seven-up and scoops of rainbow sherbet. It looks lovely and tastes great! Although it makes a pretty perfect party beverage, it's still a tad too sweet for my liking so I opted to use my favorite sparkling water, S.Pellegrino. I have been drinking San Pellegrino's since I was a child and it made the perfect choice for a satisfying spring sherbet splash.

It has been beautiful here in the Valley, the weather has been a bit unstable and changing every other day, but with it has come colors so vibrant in the landscape and the perfume of lavender, rose and geraniums outside my windows. I hope you are enjoying the outdoors!

Ciao and Buon Appetito!

Laurie

Colored Sugar Shapes

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 15:53:00 +0000

This isn't my first post about sugar shapes, in 2008 I also wrote about these wonderful sugar creations that are SO easy and quick to make. I actually have to give the credit for this batch to my 8 year old daughter who was so excited about playing in the color stained water and filling the candy molds. I was happy to have her help.. because at this point I was more interested in clicking away with my camera and getting some pretty photo's.

I wasn't just shooting for Dalla Mia Cucina this time around, Simone from Jungle Frog Cooking is a professional Food Photographer who periodically has food photo challenges on her blog. I thought it would be fun to join in THIS particular one, themed on the use of "white". My experience with shooting all white has usually left me with burned and over exposed images. Even this time around, the light in my studio wasn't "all that", and I had the wrong bulbs in my lamp stands (which cast a yellow light) so I went "tout naturel" and upped my exposure trying to eliminate the shadows. Oh how I HATE shadows! :)

I usually use my 24 -70 mm lens f2.8, but I knew I was going to need as much light as possible filtering in, so I used my 50mm f1.4 lens. Other than having a smaller cropping area to play with, it was a pretty good choice. Hope you enjoy the photo's.. and the Sugar Shapes!!

Colored Sugar Shapes

This is an easy and elegant way to serve sugar at your holiday or everyday table. My children and I started making these a few years ago and now regularly enjoy these shaped and colorful cubes for our coffee and tea. With holiday dinners and family gatherings just around the corner definitely make time for this easy preparation.

Ingredients

Sugar

Food Coloring *

Water

Candy or Chocolate Molds

Instructions

Color your water to desired shades.

Add 2 teaspoons of water to 1 cup of sugar, combine until it's the consistency of wet sand.

Pack moistened sugar into plastic mold trays (with shapes 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide available at Joanns Fabrics & Crafts or kitchen-supply stores).

Scrape level with a spatula. Let harden.

Turn plastic molds over gently on cookie sheet, they should release easily.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

* My son came up with an alternative to colored water. He places colored sugar crystals (sold in craft stores) on the bottom of the plastic molds before he adds un-colored sugar. This also lends to a very beautiful display!

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!
Laurie

The Inspired Plate | March Challenge | Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 13:00:00 +0000

This month The Inspired Plate is celebrating our monthly challenge with "Breakfast".

I know this looks like a simple breakfast.. with not too many ingredients, but I so often eat alone

in the mornings after the kids have all gone to school and this for me is quick and satisfying. A soft cooked egg, thinly sliced and buttered sourdough toast.. perfect for dipping, and a cup of tea.

A few of the gals added a challenge element to their photos, Morning Sunlight. The top photo was shot early in the day with my place setting in front of the light source. Creating a "Backlit" effect. I love the warm glow it gives and you can almost see a faint outline of the trees in my backyard.

I had so much fun shopping for props this month. Spring is definitely in the air and all the beautiful hues of yellow, pink and lavender set the tone for this place setting beautifully. I LOVE this tea cup and saucer. And this egg cup.. so adorable! Right before Easter isn't really the best time to be looking for egg cups. I scoured the antique market and probably spent 3 hours perusing the aisles to find one that would match this lovely tea set. But, I have an idea that many hostesses thinking of serving soft cooked eggs on Easter.. and throughout Spring, was a very good idea!

My garden is in bloom with a variety of lavender plants and daisies. I just love this pop of color streaming through my kitchen and family room windows!

Soft Boiled Eggs are easy to cook. Take out your eggs ahead of time and allow them to come to room temperature. This will prevent them from cracking when you put them into the water. Boil water in a small saucepan. Make sure you have at least 3/4 of the pan filled. Bring to a rolling boil. Lower temperature to medium high, carefully place eggs in water. Allow them to come back to a soft boil. (not simmer) Cook exactly for 4 minutes for firm whites and a soft yolk. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy with your favorite toast! I drizzle my sourdough toast with honey. yum. I love the salty savory taste with the sweetness of a little honey! :)

Please be sure to head on over to Stacey Siegal | Bradenton FL Food Photographer. I am sure she will have some beautiful and scrumptious photos and recipes to share! My lucky friend sits pretty on the warm beaches of Bradenton and rocks her camera! She is SO talented and it is a privilege having her join us for a second year!

Ciao and Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Cream Puffs

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 01:21:00 +0000

This is probably one of my all time favorite
deserts with Chocolate Covered Strawberries
coming in a close second. There are a few
steps and it is a little timely to make but this
I'm sure will be one of your families favorites too!

Hope you enjoy..
Laurie

Choux Pastry Puffs

Ingredients
1-cup water
1/2-cup butter (no substitutes)
1-cup all-purpose flour
1/4-teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Directions
In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until mixture is smooth and shiny.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove puffs to wire racks. Immediately cut a slit in each for steam to escape. Cool. Split puffs and remove soft dough.

Pastry Cream

Ingredients
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4-cup cornstarch
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1-teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs.
Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.
When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in.
Pour into a heatproof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

Chocolate Icing

Ingredients
2 (1-ounce) squares chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Directions
Melt chocolate in top of double boiler add sugar and cream. Cook over medium heat until soft ball stage.
Let cool and beat until smooth. Ice tops of the eclairs.

Pepper Jelly Scones

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 17:55:00 +0000

I'm so happy to share this recipe with you today.. even more so because I've created it using one of my favorite products ever, Mrs G's Hot Pepper Jellies! These unique blends come in three amazing flavors; Ja-Ha (Jalapeño-Habanero), Jalapeño Garlic Lime and Mango Ginger Habanero.

Handcrafted with the freshest ingredients, Mrs G's artisan hot pepper jellies are produced with great care in small batches in an FDA-certified kitchen to ensure quality and consistently excellent flavor!

Not only is Mrs G a producer of fine products, but she happens to be one of my dearest friends!

I've been fortunate to be able to photograph her products, and at the same time enjoy using these peppery jellies in many of my own dishes. This recipe came from our recent Valentine Day shoot where we had the idea to use spicy jam with yummy scones.. I knew that we could easily infuse the jam right into the baking process as well as smothering it on later. :) These scones are light with a hint of Ja-Ha spiciness. Just the right amount to add that extra something to your Valentines Day!

Pepper Jelly Scones

Recipe courtesy Laurie M. Vengoechea, Dalla Mia Cucina

Ingredients

4 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

*2 Tablespoons Mrs G’s Pepper Jellies

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cold heavy cream *minus 2 Tablespoons (Pepper Jelly is replacing the milk)

2 tablespoons milk, to brush on scones during baking

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine 4 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, and salt in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Blend in the cold butter and 2 Tablespoons of pepper jelly at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

Combine the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add to the flour/butter mixture. Combine until just blended. The dough may be a bit sticky.

Place the dough out onto a floured surface, push together till combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough out to 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick. You will see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into circles with a 4-inch fluted cookie cutter. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the scones with milk.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the outsides are crisp and the insides are done.

Glaze

1/2 cup milk

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon Mrs G’s Pepper Jelly

Mix all ingredients together in a small pot till well combined!
Drizzle abundantly over your the scones!! :)

Enjoy!!!

And please don't forget to check out Mrs G's Hot Pepper Jellies website!

Pumpkin Marsala Spice Cake with a Cheesecake Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 19:35:00 +0000

Happy November to all my friends.. Holiday preparations are here! I'm in the kitchen testing out some new recipes.. I have been playing around with finely ground almonds in my cake batters. By eliminating some of the flour, and replacing it with the almond meal it adds such nice texture and eliminates some of the density from the gluten, at the same time creating a very moist cake. Almond meal in Italian baked goods is very common anyway.. and so delicious!

This cake is similar to the Pumpkin Cake with a Cheesecake Swirl that I have previously shared.. I played with the cheesecake layer a bit and added a bit more pumpkin to this recipe. My family.. as well as my picky eldest daughter LOVED the taste and moistness of this cake. I hope you do too!

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 1/3 cups flour
1 cup ground blanched almond meal
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 ½ tsp salt
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup Marsala wine
18oz pumpkin, canned

Cheesecake Surprise Ingredients
1/2 pound Philadelphia Cream cheese at room temperature*
(*Very important for smooth filling)
1/4 cup sugar
1- tablespoons flour
1 teaspoons bourbon vanilla
1/4-cup sour cream
1 egg

Cheesecake Filling Directions
Mix cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed setting until well blended. Blend in sour cream. Add egg, mixing on low speed just until blended.

Pumpkin Marsala Spice Cake with a Cheesecake Surprise

Make Cake
1. Grease and dust with flour the bottom and 1/2 way up sides of 2 loaf pans; set aside.
In a very large mixing bowl beat sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs and beat well; set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine flour and almond meal, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cloves. Combine Marsala and water. Add flour mixture and marsala/water liquid alternately to sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Spoon batter 3/4 of the way into prepared pans.
Put dollops of cheesecake filling onto pumpkin batter till 1/4 of the pan is left free from batter. Push cheesecake dollops down into the pumpkin batter a bit.

3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 55 to 65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans in the oven with door ajar. When cool, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Best if prepared a day ahead of serving. Cool completely before removing from pans. Test doneness of cake by piercing it in the center of the cake with a toothpick. It's finished when the toothpick comes out clean.

Buon Appetito, Abbracci e Baci!
Laurie

Cashew and Garlic Pesto “Kale Chips”

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 14:30:00 +0000

Gluten Free, Potato and Corn Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free, SUGAR FREE!!
Snacking just isn’t what it used to be.. but that doesn’t mean it has to be non existent and un-enjoyable! I have come to really enjoy food oddities, like crunchy seaweed, plantain banana chips, fried garbanzo beans and my favorite.. kale chips!

In my quest for non-dairy goodness, leaving out the cream and cheese for that creamy element, has been a work in progress, but, I have found that “something creamy” by way of cashews! I have been completely surprised.. and enjoy it in dairy free cream sauces too!

This is a quick and easy recipe to make.. hope you enjoy!!

Cashew and Garlic Pesto “Kale Chips”

Ingredients

2 Bunches Kale

1 cup raw cashews

½ cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp. fresh lemon zest

A dash of Cayenne Pepper

Salt if needed

Directions

Preheat oven to 275˚

Remove ribbing from kale and cut into 2-3 inch chunk sizes. Wash and spin dry to remove all water! Set aside in large mixing bowl.

In food processor, add remaining ingredients, except salt.. add only if needed.

Process until creamy. Pour pesto a little at a time over the kale, mix well. Be careful not to over drench the kale.. it will be too heavy to bake evenly! Spread evenly between two baking sheets, bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, till crispy.

The kale will shrink quite a bit so don’t be shocked!

Enjoy!! Xo

Laurie

Apple Dumplings in a Warm Crème Anglaise Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 05:32:00 +0000

We love comfort food in all shapes and sizes.. but for me a true comfort food has to be warm and include something creamy. It wasn't till I first met my husband that I had ever had the pleasure of enjoying an apple dumpling. We used to go to this wonderful little bakery in Belmont Shore, Long Beach and indulge in the most wonderful sweet treats. This is where I first had my dumpling. But to be honest with you, it still didn't give me that warm comfortable feeling that I got when I had hot peach or apple pie ala mode. So this is where the Crème Anglaise comes in. If you have never had apple dumplings with a warm crème anglaise sauce you have never really enjoyed apple dumplings the way you should! :)

This is a perfect fall dessert and dressed up in this custard sauce it makes quite an elegant holiday presentation!

Apple Dumpling Ingredients

2 cups water

1-1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

1/3 to 1/2 cup half-and-half, light cream, or whole milk

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 small cooking apples (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Directions

1. For sauce, in a medium saucepan combine the water, the 1-1/4 cups sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup butter or margarine. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, for pastry, combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the half-and-half, light cream, or milk over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat moistening dough, using 1 tablespoon of the cream or milk at a time, until all of the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to an 18x12-inch rectangle.* Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut into six 6-inch squares.

3. In a small mixing bowl combine the walnuts, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.

4. Peel and core the apples. Place an apple on each pastry square. Fill centers of apples with walnut mixture. Drizzle sauce over apples. Moisten edges of each pastry square with water; fold corners to center over apple. Pinch to seal. Place dumplings in a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Bake in a 365 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender and pastry is golden brown.

Crème Anglaise Ingredients

2 cups light cream or half and half

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (can be found specialty food stores) or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

5 large egg yolks

Directions

*Have a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl ready near the stove.

In a stainless steel bowl stir together, using a wooden spoon, the sugar and yolks until well blended. (Do not let this mixture sit too long or a film will develop on the yolks.)

In a small saucepan heat the cream and vanilla bean (if using) just to the boiling point. Remove from heat and whisk a few tablespoons of the cream into the yolk mixture. Then, gradually add the remaining cream, whisking constantly.

Pour this mixture into a medium sized saucepan and, over medium heat, gently heat the mixture to just below the boiling point (170 - 175 degrees F). You will notice that steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle! Check to see if it is the right consistency by holding a wooden spoon sideways that is covered with the custard and run your finger along the back of the spoon. If the streak remains without the cream running down through the streak, it is ready.

Immediately remove from the heat and pour through the strainer, scraping up any thickened cream that settles on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the sauce. Stir until seeds separate. For maximum flavor, return the pod to the sauce until serving time. (If you are using pure vanilla extract, instead of the vanilla bean, add it to the cream now.)

The crème anglaise can be refrigerated covered with plastic wrap for a couple of days.

Note: If sauce was overheated and curdling occurs, pour instantly into a blender and process until smooth before straining. If necessary, add a little heavy cream to the mixture before blending.

Makes about 2 cups .

To serve, spoon Creme Anglaise in bowls. Place a dumpling in each. Use reserved sauce for drizzling over dumplings. Makes 6 servings.

Pistachio Beef "Rustico" Rustic Savory Pastry

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 18:36:00 +0000

It is no secret that I adore pistachios.. this aromatic nut is flavorful and holds its own when combined with meats such as beef and sheep, but is as gentle as a lamb when whipped into a gelato and chocolates or used as a base for my smooth and tasty pistachio pesto and cream sauce. But then again, you will often just find me eating them right out of a plain paper sack, satisfied to snack on instead of the alternative, oily roasted peanuts and potato chips.

I'm always looking for ways to incorporate pistachios into my home cooking, and when I found that I had a couple extra cups the same night I was making a collection of savory pastries I began combining flavors. The pistachio and ground sirloin were definitely the stars, but they combined well with sauteed shallots, fennel and garlic, red pepper, capers and raisins.

I first browned my ground sirloin, then added red pepper flakes as well as cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, salt, capers and raisins. In a food processor I ground my shelled pistachios and then added them to the beef mix.

In a separate saute pan in olive oil I lightly sauteed my chopped shallots and fennel till translucent. Then I added my finely chopped garlic and continued to saute till golden. This was then added to the pistachio beef mix. I approximately used 1 onion, 1 shallot and 3 cloves of garlic. (for added flavor, a minced green and red pepper sautéed along with the garlic, shallots and fennel would also be amazing!)

When all ingredients were combined I then added a few more teaspoons of olive oil, an 1/8 cup of beef broth and a dab of butter plus a few more seasonings for taste.

The "pastry" is a post in itself. Pasta Frolla is the typical Southern Italian pastry for Rustici and Crostata's. It is by far my favorite pastry to use and is not too hard to make. It tastes like a combination of a shortbread crust and pie pastry dough, but in my opinion is better than both and holds up to many a pastry dessert.

I do love Nick Malgieri's pastry recipe's, and his are usually my "go to" recipes of choice.

But this Italian Pasta Frolla recipe is the basic recipe you can find in almost any Italian cookbook or Nonna's kitchen collection.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 freshly grated lemons, zest of or 1 oranges
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1.In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and zest.
2.Cut in the butter, until it resembles coarse meal.
3.Add the egg and the vanilla and toss the mixture until incorporated.
4.Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead very lightly, forming into a disk.
5.Chill, wrapped in plastic at least 1 hour or overnight.
6.Let the dough stand at room temperature until softened, but still firm enough to roll out.

Buon Anno and Buon Appetito!!
I hope you and yours enjoy a Blessed New Year,
From My Kitchen..

Laurie

A Roasted Vegetable and Fontina Cheese Terrine in a Savory Basil Pastry

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 15:40:00 +0000

This is one of those recipes that rarely leaves my mind but hardly ever makes an appearance to the table. It is so delicious, not to difficult to make, a family favorite and can be made ahead and served for a weekend brunch or a light dinner with a salad. I brought it out of my memory banks because of the esthetic beauty of this dish and how lovely I think it will be, placed on a holiday table with all the other wonderful side dishes, whether your making a home style turkey or an elegant prime rib.

I have been making pastry dough's for years. I've tried every recipe possible and have never had just one that I could say was my absolutely favorite.. until now. The combination of ice water and cold cream blended with very cold butter that is rubbed into a savory basil laced flour made for one of the most flaky aromatic dough's I have ever had. The trick always with pastry dough is keeping it cold. For this, I have two sets of flour at home. I have my cold flour for pastries kept in it's original bag and then placed in a tightly sealed freezer bag in my freezer and then I have my bread flour kept at room temperature in my pantry. When making pastry you will hear time and time again how important it is to use cold ingredients.. THIS IS KEY!

While preparing this recipe, after I rolled out my terrine layers I put them back into the freezer and covered them for 15 minutes while I did some clean up.

The other element to this dough that made it so flavorful was the incorporation of the julienne slices of basil mixed with the flour before the rest of the ingredients were combined.

This dough was a winner and it will find a comfy home in my tried and true recipe spot that will be handed down to the next generation of happy homemakers! :)

Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables & Fontina Cheese

2 Zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/4 -inch slices
2 red bell peppers cored, seeded & sliced
5 Roma Tomatoes Sliced ¼ inch thickness
1 Sweet Onion, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 Cipolini Onion
5 carrots sliced
1 garlic, top cut off for roasting
3 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs finely chopped
3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs finely chopped
10 – 12 large basil leaves cleaned and dried left whole
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

*Fontina Cheese 8 – 10 ¼ inch slices

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lay all sliced vegetables except herbs on baking sheets. You will probably need 4 large baking/cookie sheets. Sprinkle half of the vegetables with chopped rosemary and the other half with chopped thyme. Reserve some chopped thyme for roasting garlic. Place garlic with top cut off in a foil pouch. Sprinkle with kosher salt, fresh thyme and a drizzle of olive oil. Close and seal pouch and place on one of the cookie sheets with vegetables surrounding. Drizzle all vegetables with olive oil, season with cracked black pepper and kosher salt.
Bake for 35- 45 minutes. Vegetables should be browned and caramelized. The tomatoes at this point will be beautifully sweet and almost dry.

BASIL LACED PASTRY DOUGH
(Makes Enough For 1 (9-INCH) Double Crust Pie)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 basil leaves clean and dried julienned
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2-teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons ice water
5 tablespoons cream or half and half

Preparation
Add julienned basil to flour. Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
Stir together cold water and cream.
Drizzle 5 to 6 Tbsp ice cold liquids evenly over mixture. Gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough: if it doesn't hold together, add more liquid, 1/2 Tbsp at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough. Turn out onto a work surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one. Press into a ball, then flatten into 2 (5-inch) disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, as least 1 hour.

I used my ravioli cutter to slice up the dough to fit perfectly in the terrine. Then I layered the vegetable ingredients and applied a good amount of weight to form good compression. The layering of this dish is really to your own liking. All you need to do is repeat your layering pattern with the vegetables and cheese. When all ingredients are used up, lay the last piece of dough on top and fold over edges and pinch to seal. Prick all over with fork. Brush an egg/milk wash on top and bake in a 400 degree oven till pastry is cooked through, 40 - 45 minutes.
(If pastry is browning to quickly cover with a foil tent)
When cool remove from terrine. Slice in 1/2 inch thicknesses.
Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Custard Filled Cream Puffs

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 19:24:00 +0000

We celebrated our youngest daughter's 10th birthday on Valentines Day. My little sweets request.. my Lusciously Rich Custard Filled Cream Puffs! They really are the best and never disappoint I hope you enjoy!

Pastry Cream

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 vanilla bean split lengthwise (not vanilla extract)

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. granulated white sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoons butter

Directions

In a saucepan on medium heat, combine the milk and the split vanilla bean; cook till it begins to simmer. Watch carefully so your milk doesn’t scald or you will have a skin on top. If you do notice a skin forming, remove it before you are ready to add it to your egg mixture. Turn heat off.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat eggs and sugar together until creamy pale yellow. You can also do this in a medium size stainless steel bowl with a wire whisk, but beat hard and consistently. (This is how I start my Zabaione when making an Italian custard) Next add the flour and beat hard till well incorporated and it has the texture of a thick paste.

Slowly pour hot milk into egg mixture in a very thin stream whisking constantly to prevent curdling. When incorporated, remove vanilla bean. Scrape the seeds from the pod and stir them into the custard mix. Return custard to pan you heated the milk in and place on medium heat till mixture begins to thicken and come to a soft boil. Stir constantly and mix from bottom of pan to prevent custard from scalding. When it begins to come to a slow boil time it for another minute or so.. custard will be a medium consistency. Turn off heat.

Add the 1 tablespoons of butter and mix well. Scrape the custard into a bowl. Smoothe plastic wrap directly on top of the custard. The first time I read this in directions I was kind of disconcerted thinking I would waste much of the top layer of custard when I pulled it from the top. When refrigerated and cooled, the plastic comes off clean from the top of the custard. No waste!

Choux Pastry Puffs

Ingredients

1-cup water

1/2-cup butter (no substitutes)

1-cup all-purpose flour

1/4-teaspoon salt

4 eggs

Directions

In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until mixture is smooth and shiny.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove puffs to wire racks. Immediately cut a slit in each for steam to escape. Cool. Split puffs and remove soft dough.

Country Irish Shepherds Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 19:57:00 +0000

We considered a lovely dinner at Temecula's only Irish dining establishment "Killarney's Irish Pub & Grill", but when I drove to the grocery store at 4:oo pm and noticed parked cars lined up for literally miles away and the sounds of Irish folk music and loud cheers from happy consumers, I knew dinner would be served at home this evening. But that was o.k., for all my
shopping needs would be taken care of at Henry's, where there was also a celebration with music, clogging and fresh cheeses and popular Irish drinks and foods. The store decorated with heather and green clover, and management with their plaited kilts was just the right place for me to go to get into an Irish cooking mood. And that's hard to do for a full blooded Italian gal! But rummaging through the deli cases I found cheeses with Irish labels, and the store attendant practically placing in my hand the Kellygold brand of Dubliner cheese that I ended up taking home with me. It was wonderful!

I made a simple Shepherds Pie with a few alterations. One, I didn't have time to make a pie crust so I purchased shepherds bread and used that as a base. The second, I layered the Dubliner cheese between the meat, vegies and mashed potatoes.
I made a beef stock gravy with thyme as the herb ingredient and mixed that with the ground beef and also drizzled it between the layers. The cheese made all the difference in the world! Also, to prevent the bread from burning and drying out I wrapped it in foil as I baked it through.

This was a fun and delicious meal!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Laurie

COUNTRY IRISH SHEPHERDS PIE

Ingredients
2 medium sized Shepherd Bread loaves
6 cups Mashed Potatoes (recipe follows)
2 cups Brown Sauce (recipe follows)
1-½ lbs. Ground Lamb or beef
½ Onion
Salt and pepper
Butter
3 cups Dubliner cheese grated (I use Kerrygold)
3 Carrots cleaned and cut into small squares and cooked till tender.
1 cup Peas (frozen not canned) cooked

Mashed Potatoes
2-3 pounds russet (baking)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 to 1 cup milk
Salt and white pepper to taste

Peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. In a large heavy saucepan simmer potatoes in salted water to cover by 1 inch 10 minutes, or until tender, and drain in a colander. In pan or bowl combine potatoes, butter, and 3/4-cup milk. With a potato masher or blender mash potatoes until just smooth, adding more milk and butter if necessary to make a
creamy but not pasty potato. *Over cooking and blending your potatoes will make them too starchy. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Brown Sauce
3 shallots or scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
10-½ -ounce can beef broth (not consommé)
1 Tb. Wortsheshire sauce
1 Tsp. Fresh Tarragon leaves finely chopped
½ Tsp. thyme
Salt, pepper
1 Tsp. Beurre Manié

Sauté chopped shallots or scallions in butter. Gradually add wortsheshire and beef broth. Let it come to a boil and add the seasonings. Cook down for a few minutes. Add Beurre manié to thicken to taste. Let simmer for a few minutes and strain. Set aside.

Ground Lamb or Beef
Finely chop ½ an onion. Sauté in 2 Tbsp. butter. Add ground meat and cook. Drain liquids. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Vegetables
Mix prepared vegetables together.

Preparations
Divide all ingredients for two shepherd pies.
Cut top of Shepherds Bread and scoop out insides.
Starting with mashed potatoes layer your ingredients, always adding cheese and sauce after each layer. Repeat process until you end with mashed potatoes on top. Potatoes can be piped on for a decorative finish but it is not necessary. Bake Shepherds Pie in a pre-heated 375° oven for
20 minutes. If potatoes start to brown too quickly loosely cover with foil.

Dalla Mia Cucina

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Shepherd's Cottage Pie

Chunky Applesauce

Yield: 3 ~ 16 oz Jars

Prep Time: 45 minutes to an hour (unless you have a rotary apple peeler)

Cook Time: 3-4 hours

INGREDIENTS

Directions

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Grilled Rosemary Lamb Panini
with Currant Jelly, Spinach and English Cheddar
on a Fresh Artisan Boule