Category: recipes

On the Food Network’s American website, I couldn’t find the recipe I remembered with Alton Brown making hollandaise in the blender. I did find it on the UK site as Basic hollandaise–perhaps because it has raw eggs? Since you soft boil the eggs anyway, you could probably get salmonella from them any way.

We didn’t even use half the sauce, and that dramatically cuts down on the fat / calories. If it keeps, we may use it on veggies for dinner.

For Eggs Benedict Florentine, add cooked spinach–my favorite.

Eggs Benedict adopted from Alton Brown
Recipe By : Alton Brown
Serving Size 4 Categories : Breakfast & Brunch
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method

Eggs Benedict adopted from Alton Brown
Recipe By :Alton Brown
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breakfast & Brunch

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———– ——————————-
Hollandaise Sauce
2 large eggs — fresh, preferably organic or pasteurized
3 teaspoons lemon juice — fresh
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 dash salt

Poached Eggs
4 large eggs — fresh, prefer organic or pasteurized
4 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole English muffins, whole-wheat
2 slices Canadian bacon — julienned; or proscuitto
8 tablespoons spinach — chopped
ground pepper to taste

Put the egg yolk, lemon juice, and cayenne in a blender. Pulse a couple times to combine.

Put the butter in a small microwave safe bowl and melt in a microwave until just melted.

With the blender running, gradually add the melted butter into the egg to make a smooth frothy sauce. If the sauce is very thick, blend in a teaspoon of lukewarm water loosen it up.

Taste and add more lemon juice, as desired. Move immediately to a short, wide-mouthed thermos to hold for up to 2 hours. Reheat over low heat for 45 seconds.

Poached Eggs: Put 2-4 (4-ounce) custard cups in a 4-quart deep, straight-sided saute pan. Add 6 cups water or enough to cover the cups by at least 1/4-inch. Add the vinegar and salt to the water and put the pan over high heat. Heat just until the water begins to boil and the cups clatter against the bottom of the pan, 20 to 25 minutes.

Break the eggs, 1 at a time, into another custard cup. Pour the eggs slowly into each of the cups, timing them about 10 seconds apart. Cook for 5 minutes each.

Serve immediately or remove eggs from cups and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours in the ice bath. To reheat, bring water to a simmer, turn off the heat and add the eggs. WaIt 1 to 2 minutes or until warmed through.

Put the julienned Canadian bacon in 10-inch saute pan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through and beginning to turn lightly brown around the edges, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, but leave the bacon in the pan to keep warm until serving.

For each serving, put 2 small dollops of hollandaise on a plate and set 1/2 an English muffin on top of each dollop, plus 2 tablespoons for cooked spinach. Put a small amount of Canadian bacon on top of each half and top with 1 warm poached egg and drizzle with hollandaise. Repeat with remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

Before Christmas, we visited the Rockville, MD Penzeys to buy spices for gifts. Instead of their packaged sets, we made up sets of our own, and bought some fun bottles at World Market. We ended up with enough spice left that we got to keep some ourselves, including the Arizona Dreaming. It’s salt-free.  Penzeys has some good spices, but some of their blends have too much salt and some of the soup mixes you may want to watch.  The spices aren’t organic, but they are high quality. It’s fun to go into the shop and smell them all — oh, if they only had cooking classes…

This dreamy dressing was good, but we ended up more oil and vinegar–it was a bit thick.

Dreamy Dressing
Serving Size  : 6     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Salads & Dressings

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
1         tablespoon  arizona dreaming spice
1         tablespoon  water
1              whole  jalapeno — finely minced
1/4           cup  lime juice — fresh, 2 limes
1           teaspoon  honey
1/3           cup  canola oil — mixed with olive good, too

Seed and chop the jalapeno roughly; put in blender. Cover with spiece, water, lime juice and honey.

Mince in blender; slowly add the canola oil.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 114 Calories; 12g Fat (92.8% calories from fat); trace Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; trace Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 2 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : A fresh and zesty salt-free dressing for all your favorite salads. For a creamy dressing, add 1-2 tablespoons sour cream. Penzey’s Arizona Dreaming spice has ancho chili pepper, black pepper, minced onion, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, cilanto, oregano, lemon peel, chipotle, coriander, fennel, anise seed, cayenne pepper, jalepeno, crushed red peppers, cocoa powder, korintje connamon, nutmeg, ginger, fenugreek, white pepper, cardamom seeds.

Caramels Double Recipe 2010

Recipe By     : Colette Manning
Serving Size  : 96    Preparation Time :0:20
Categories    : Candy

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
4               cups  sugar
4               cups  corn syrup –  small bottle 16 oz; brand doesn’t matter
2             sticks  butter
1/2      teaspoon  salt
2         12 oz cans  evaporated milk
2          teaspoons  vanilla
2               cups  nuts — if desired; toasted good; often walnuts

Place sugar and corn syrup in heavy pan at least 4 qt.  size. Cook to 240-245 degrees stirring frequently (about 20 minutes). Add butter and salt then add milk slowly so mixture continues to boil. Cook to 240 degrees stirring constantly, as this thicken is scorches easily  (can take up to 45 minutes) . Take off heat and stir in vanilla and nut if desired.

Pour into greased pan to cool. I used 3 8X8 square silicone pans

For chocolate carmels add 1cup of chocolate chips with the butter.

For licorice carmels add 2 t. black paste food coloring  with sugar and syrup (or once it has started to liquify)  and 2 tsp. of anise oil instead of vanilla.

For cherry carmels add 2 t. red paste food coloring and  2 tsp. cherry flavor for hard candy.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 116 Calories; 4g Fat (30.4% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 7mg Cholesterol; 55mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : Making a double batch is just as easy as a single. I use large, german stew pot and put gas burner at Medium High.

A long, wooden-handled spoon is good for stirring. Use a pattern to cut papers in bulk. Pizza cutter or knife will work for cutting into squares.

Caramels; wrap in waxed paper, parchment paper or saran wrap twisted (may not keep as well). Also called carmels.

Yamblings: It was way too expensive, but I can never pass up on gadgety things, so I bought a microwave sweet potato in the Silver Spring Safeway.  The “Micro Yam” (though it was really a sweet potato and not a yam) is a triple-washed sweet potato in plastic wrap.

Instructions: Do no puncture or remove flavor seal wrap; Place in microwave. Cook on high about 6-8 minutes (mine was mush at 6 minutes). Sweet potato will be hot, so carefully remove.

I don’t think the variety of sweet potato used was the most flavorful, so I will go back to cooking in a damp paper towel in the microwave (after you’ve punched a few holes into it) and then finishing up in the broiler to get the skin crispy.

The newest Prevention magazine says you should eat sweet potatoes instead carrots to get more antioxidants, but it’s hard to beat a carrot for ease (no cooking required).

I love this because it’s so simple — too simple for most restaurants. I usually don’t add any green, but add zest instead — keeps longer in the fridge.  Good topped on a salad, plus some blue cheese on top of that. The beets are easy to peel, and it’s nice not having to cook them.

Grated Raw Beet Salad
Serving Size  : 4     Preparation Time :0:00

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
1/2         pound  beets
3        tablespoons  orange juice
1         tablespoon  lemon juice
1         tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil
2        tablespoons  mint — chives or parsley (or a combination); minced
Salt — (to taste)
Leaves of 1 romaine heart
zest to taste

Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, and grate in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade.

Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the beets and herbs. Season to taste with salt. Line a salad bowl or platter with romaine lettuce leaves, top with the grated beets and serve.

Advance preparation: The grated beets can be dressed and kept in the refrigerator, covered well, for a couple of days. They become more tender but don’t lose their texture, and the mixture becomes even sweeter as the beet juices mingle with the citrus. Toss again before serving.

Source: “New York Times”
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 54 Calories; 3g Fat (55.8% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 31mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat.

NOTES : People who swear they hate beets love this salad. It’s a North African-inspired mixture of grated, uncooked beets dressed with orange and lemon juices and a small amount of olive oil. It makes a great starter when you’re serving something robust as a main course, like a couscous.

Nutritional information per serving: 58 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 32 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 1 gram protein

Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

Cucumber Agua Fresca

Pretty green color even without skin; recipe says “A splash of rum or vodka makes this a great before-dinner drink”  for a Cuke Cocktail. Don’t be scared for the sugar / cuke combo — fresh taste. Good way to get your veggies, or rescue a cucumber a bit past its prime.

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
1             medium  cucumber — sliced into 1/2-inch slices; peeled / seeded optional; about 1 cup
1/4           cup  water
pinch  salt
4              whole  ice cubes
2        tablespoons  fresh mint — or basil to taste
1              whole  lime — juiced or more to taste
1         tablespoon  sugar — Agave nectar or sugar syrup*  To taste
Cucumber spears — (optional)

In a blender container combine cucumber, water and salt. Cover and puree until smooth. If you want it perfectly smooth, sieve mixture, but this is not essential. Add ice cubes and mint; blend until slushy. Stir in lime juice and sweeten with agave nectar to taste. to serve, add a cucumber spear to each glass. Makes 6 servings.

Sugar Syrup: In a small saucepan combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar; heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Cool. Pour into a jar and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Made changes to recipe in:  Better Homes & Gardens.
Start to Finish Time: 0:15
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 64 Calories; 1g Fat (6.6% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 15mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit.

In the big, white mountain maker For AI’s BD:

• 2 quarts of half and half
• 2 cups of lime juice
• 2  cups of sugar (or to taste)
• 1/3 cup of vodka (for texture)
• dash of salt
• 1 TBS lime zest

• Process several cups of chopped,  ripe watermelon in blender or food processor.
• Throw in a handful (a few tablespoons) of mint.
• 2 Tbs of lemon or lime juice.
• Add sugar to taste . About 1 -2 tsp of sugar per pop – one recipe called for corn syrup.

I made 4 pops with about 1/4 cup of juice per sicle.

I used popsicle molds, but not really necessary – a cup would do. About 4 hours to freeze.

You may need to run hot water over the outside of the plastic popsicle molds to get it to release.

Refreshing, and it didn’t matter that the melon was overripe. Make a good cocktail, too.

From Melissa’s Everyday Cooking:

Kiwi Martini -2

• 3 oz citrus vodka
• 2 tsp sugar syrup
• 1 kiwi sliced and peeled
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice

Muddle half the kiwis in a cocktail shaker. Add the liquids; ice. Shake; pour into martini glasses. Add the rest of the kiwi for garnish. Very pretty green.