French Quarter Beignets

My students have asked to make beignets, so I'm testing out a recipe I've had for ages -- seeing how we can make the rising stage work to fit our schedule...

Ingredients
¾ C warm water
¼ C granulated sugar
1¾ tsp yeast
1 egg
1 tsp salt
½ C evaporated milk
3¾ C flour
2 T shortening

non-stick cooking spray
oil, for deep-frying
confectioner's sugar
optional: cinnamon, syrup(s) for dipping

Directions
In a large bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast; let sit 10 minutes.

In another bowl, while the yeast is blooming, beat egg, salt and evaporated milk. In a third bowl, measure out flour.

After 10 minutes, stir egg mixture into large bowl with yeast mixture. Blend in half the flour. Add shortening and continue cutting in the shortening and continue to mix in remaining flour.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, adding just enough flour to keep it from sticking.

Wash the large bowl and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Return dough to bowl; cover with plastic wrap lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Let rise for at least an hour.

Punch down dough to remove excess air bubbles. Roll out dough -- on a very lightly floured surface -- to ¼ inch thick. Use a bench knife to cut into 2-inch squares.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer, electric skillet or fying pan to 350° F. Deep fry beignets, flipping constantly with a fork (or slotted spoon, or tongs...) until they are light golden brown. Remove and drain on briefly paper towels.

Toss gently in a bowl with powdered sugar. Optional: Toss with powdered sugar and cinnamon...and/or serve with fruit syrup dipping sauce. Raspberry is my favorite!

Honey-Mint Grapefruit (Citrus) Salad

The original recipe calls for all grapefruit -- a mix of white, pink & red makes for the most interesting presentation -- and personally, I LOVE grapefriut. But right now, I have both grapefruit and oranges in quantities that I need to use up; so, that's what I used. It's delicious immediately, but kind of nice if the flavors marinate for a while.

Ingredients
grapefruit (white, pink & red)
honey - about 1 T for each grapefruit
mint -about 1 T for each grapefruit
salt

Directions
Supreme the grapefruits. (There are YouTube videos that demonstrate how to "supreme" citrus. Basically, you're cutting away all the peel and membranes. Cut off the ends, then slice carefully along the membranes so that segments of the grapefruit fall loose.) Reserve all the juice, putting it in a separate bowl from the fruit.

Mince the mint. Whisk the mint, honey and a pinch of salt into the juice. Pour over grapefruit segments, stirring gently to combine. Best served chilled.

Cauliflower Hummus

Kind of debated whether to even post this one. It's not bad (in fact, for not being hummus at all, it's a reasonable substitute), it's just...why? Why would you want to turn cauliflower into hummus, if what you really want is hummus? But, if you're going really "low carb" and you want hummus, then...it's an option (about 1/4 of the carbs of chickpeas).

Ingredients
3 C raw cauliflower florets
2 T water
5 T olive oil
1½ t salt
5 cloves garlic
1½ T tahini paste
3 T lemon juice
olive oil & smoked paprika to garnis for serving

Directions
Combine olive oil, water, 2 T of the olive oil, 1/2 t salt and 3 cloves of the garlic in a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 10-12 minutes on high, until cauliflower is softened and somewhat darkened in color.

Put cauliflower mixture in mini blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add tahini paste, lemon juice, remaining garlic and olive oil; blend again. Add additional salt as needed, to taste.

Transfer to serving dish; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve with raw veggies, crackers, thinly sliced apples...

Bourbon Sour

I'm not much of a drinker. When I do, it's often some fruity cocktail -- often citrus. I had the bourbon out for a bourbon caramel sauce (have to post that recipe later...), so decided to mix up a simple version of a bourbon sour (recipe complements of Evan Faber @ Salt bistro in Boulder, CO)

Mix roughly equal parts:  
bourbon
vanilla simple syrup*
lemon juice

Suit your own taste... Evan's recipe is actually 3 parts bourbon, 2 parts each vanilla syrup & lemon.

* Make your own (sugar, water, and vanilla, often boiled to dissolve more sugar) or use a prepared, bottle syrup like the Torani syrups or other brands readily available at supermarkets.

Ginger Chicken Pot Stickers

30+ pot sticker or gyoza wrappers
flour

Filling Ingredients
12 ground chicken (thigh meat is moster and more flavorful!)
3-4 scallions, finely chopped
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T vegetable oil
pinch pepper

Sauce Ingredients
3 T soy sauce
3 T mirin
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp minced fresh ginger

Sauce Directions
Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl.

Pot Sticker Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring until well mixed with no large chunks of meat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment; dust with flour.

Lay out 6 wrappers on counter (or flat work surface). Brush edges with water. Place 1½ to 2 tsp filling slightly off center in each wrapper. Bring the edges together, pleating as needed, and press to seal well creating a half moon shape (or get creative!). Place pot stickers on flour-dusted baking sheet. Cover with a dishtowel -- very slightly damp -- as you continue to work to keep pot stickers from drying.

Add 1-2 T vegetable oil to a medium or large skillet over high heat. Place dumplings carefully -- sealed edge up in several rows, or a sprial pattern in the skillet. Crowd them, let them touch. Fry until golden brown on the bottom (approx 2 minutes).

Reduce heat to medium. Carefully add water to depth of ¼ inch. Cover and let cook until water is evaporated (approx 5 minutes) -- after 3 minutes slide lid ajar to let steam escape.

Listen for frying/sizzling sound. Uncover. Fry an additional 1 or 2 minutes to crisp bottoms.Remove from heat. Transfer to plate with bottoms up (keeps them crisper). Serve with dipping sauce.

Sea Salt Chocolate Caramels

Okay; not great. Texture is firmer than a caramel, but not as hard-crack as a toffee -- but it definitely sticks to your teeth!

Ingredients
C butter
1 C sugar
1 C + 2 T light corn syrup
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 T cocoa powder
sea salt/coarse salt

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil, stirring, until mixture reaches 248F (about 15 minutes). Pour into buttered (or lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray) 8" square pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool; cut into squares.

From FoodNetwork & Land O' Lakes

Maple Onion Jam

My own spin on a recipe (Cooking Light, last December I think; find the original here), that starts with 5 pounds of onions. A bit more than I wanted in jam form! This is close...

Ingredients
2 lbs yellow onions
4 T brown sugar
¼ tsp minced garlic
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamom
pinch pepper
1½ tsp maple syrup
¾ tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions
Rough chop onions into large pieces. In a crock pot, stir together onion, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH until onions are very soft and mixture is soupy (8 hours or more).

Remove lid; continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated (approx 1½ hrs)*. Turn off crock pot; stirr in syrup and vinegar. Cool 30 minutes.

Transfer mixture to food processor. Pulse until chunky but spreadable (or desired consistency). Divide into canning jars or airtight containers. Store in refrigerator.

* If mixture is still very soupy, pour off liquid into small saucepan; add syrup. Cook over high heat until reduced and thickened to a very thick syrup. Return to onions; stir in vinegar and cool completely.

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Wonton 'Ravioli'

I had a little of this, a little of that -- a little butternut squash soup, a few leftover sweet potatoes, and some wonton wrappers -- and pulled off a close approximation of a Ree Drummond Pumpkin Wonton Ravioli recipe. It wasn't exactly the same, but mine was delicious! Wonton wrappers as a quick 'cheater' 
version of homemade ravioli! :)

butter
minced garlic
pumpkin puree OR butternut squash OR sweet potatoes...
chili powder (I think I used a squirt of Sriracha)
salt & pepper
wonton wrappers
1 egg

shaved parmesan

pine nuts

Sweet Potato & Gouda Gratin

This recipe (from Sunset magazine, October 2016) was a good excuses to use the slicing and shredding attachments to my KitchenAid mixer – they’ve been packed away in storage since shortly after I got them about 2 years ago! I love thyme. Still, it was relatively strong to my taste in this recipe. I might reduce it whenever I make this again. Also, even after sitting more than 10 minutes, the cheesey sauce was still a little thin. I increased the flour in the ingredients list below…hopefully that’ll make it creamier.

Ingredients

3 - 4 medium-large sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and thinly sliced

1 large shallot, thinly sliced, rings separated

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus thyme sprig for garnish

1 tsp coarse salt

½ tsp coarse pepper

1 T flour

6.5 oz gouda cheese, shredded

¼ C flour

1 C heavy cream

¾ C chicken broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Toss together shredded gouda and 1 T flour in another bowl.

Lightly coat a 3 quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange half of sweet potatoes and half shallot onto bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with half the thyme, salt and pepper. Layer half the gouda-flour mixture onto seasoned sweet potatoes. Arrange remaining sweet potatoes and shallots in a second layer.

Whisk ¼ C flour with half cream until smooth. Whisk in remaining cream and broth. Pour over sweet potatoes; top with remaining gouda.

Bake 45-55 minutes, increasing temperature to 400°F for the last 5 minutes or so, until gratin is bubbling and golden brown on top. Let sit 10 minutes before serving (sauce will thicken). Set a thyme sprig on top to garnish. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Polenta - Cauliflower Puree with Barbecue Shredded Chicken

You could just put BBQ shredded chicken over creamy polenta, but the cauliflower puree increases the polenta base without adding many calories, and the flavor is so mild as to be nearly unnoticeable. The homemade, mustard based barbecue sauce is good, and easy to tweak to your personal tastes. However, if you’re in a hurry, store-bought BBQ could be substituted easily to save time.

Ingredients

12 oz cauliflower florets

1 C (low sodium) chicken stock

½ C coarse cornmeal

3 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp coarse salt

½ C tomato sauce

3 T water

2 T yellow mustard

2 T ketchup

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

dash chile powder

12 oz cooked, shredded chicken (mix of breast and thigh)

½ c thin sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Process the cauliflower in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to saucepan; add stock and cornmeal. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking often, until cauliflower is cooked and mixture is thickened (~15 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Combine tomato sauce, water, mustard, ketchup, garlic, onion and chile powders in a small sauce pan. Bring gently to a simmer, stirring often until slightly thickened (5-10 minutes). Stir in shredded chicken.

Divide cauliflower-polenta into 4 bowls; top with chicken and barbeque sauce. Garnish with scallions.

Chocolate Tart with Cocoa Whipped Cream

I have quite a few chocolate tart/pie recipes. But, when I was without internet connection recently, I found this one (ripped out of a magazine – probably Cooking Light or Food Network, but it’s ripped off the page so I can’t be sure). Worth adding to the options…

Ingredients

CRUST:

6-8 oz crushed chocolate wafer cookies

          (plus extra for garnishing, if desired)

3 T sugar

¼ tsp salt

6 T butter, melted

FILLING:

1 ½ C whole milk

4 egg yolks

¹/₃ C sugar

2 T cornstarch

1 T cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp salt

4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

TOPPING:

1 C cold heavy cream

2 T cocoa powder

3 T powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make crust: Crush (or process in a food processor) wafer cookies to fine crumbs. Stir in sugar and salt. Add melted butter, blending until the mixture starts to clump. Press to bottom of springform pan and slightly up the sides. Bake 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven; while still warm, use the back of a spoon to gently press any cracks together. Cool.

Make filling: Heat 1 C milk in saucepan just to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and ½ C milk in a large bowl. Temper the egg mixture by slowly whisking in hot milk until mixture is smooth. Transfer everything back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it comes to a boil and thickens (~5 minutes). Remove from heat; add chopped chocolate, whisking until melted. Pour filling into crust; smooth with spatula. Cover with plastic wrap (directly on top of filling to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate until cold and set (at least 2 hours).

Make topping: Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and cocoa powder to soft peaks. Spread cocoa-whipped cream on tart. Garnish with additional cookie crumbs, if desired. (Or garnish with chocolate sprinkles, jimmies, etc.)

Sesame-Ginger-Chickpea-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

4 medium sweet potatoes

1 tsp vegetable or canola oil

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 T sesame oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp coarse salt

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ C tahini

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp grated or minced fresh garlic

2 tsp rice vinegar

¼ C hot water

1 T Sriracha sauce

¼ C thinly sliced scallions

1 tsp sesame seeds (white & black mixed adds visual appeal, but any sesame seeds will do)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lightly coat sweet potatoes with vegetable oil and pierce multiple times with a fork. Bake for 1 hour, until tender. Cool until handle-able. (Bake chickpeas while they’re cooling; see below.) Split potatoes lengthwise; score inner flesh deeply with a knife.

In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, and ginger. Gently pat chickpeas dry with paper towels. Toss in a wide bowl with sesame oil; sprinkle with garlic-salt-ginger and toss to coat evenly. Bake 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Combine tahini, fresh ginger, fresh garlic and vinegar in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons hot water; stir until smooth. Combine Sriracha with 1 tablespoon hot water in another small bowl.

Drizzle a couple teaspoons of tahini mixture over each half of sweet potato. Season with remaining salt. Spoon Chickpeas generously over each potato, drizzle with remaining tahini mixture and Sriracha mixture. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Season with additional salt (if needed) to taste.