Cookbook

Baked Bree

the book

Based on the blog

by Bree Hester

Baked Bree

the book

Baked Bree

Based on the blog by

Bree Hester

To my family, the best guinea pigs around.

Copyright © 2011

Bree Hester

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in review

table of contents

Breakfast

blueberry muffins lemon ricotta muffins pancake muffins cinnamon bun pancakes christmas morning granola rice pudding

Lunch

cheese and chicken taquitos chicken nuggets

bbq chicken sandwich buffalo chicken

garlic bacon chicken wraps taco salad

spinach salad

Appetizers

Dinner

baked potato soup bruschetta pasta turkey meatballs passover dinner caprese chicken

chicken tandoori burgers chicken with boursin indian butter chicken barbacao

Dessert

Condiments

orange marmalade caramel sauce barbecue sauce mustard chimichurri sauce pesto

Recipes

blue cheese bacon dip italian sub dip crab dip roquamole baked potato dip

vanilla bean icecream reese cheesebars pecan brittle cannoli dip

lemon lavendar pots de creme grand marnier pecan pie lemon bar

peanut butter pie cherry buckle coconut cake

mint chocolate chip icecream dirt cake

key lime pie flag cupcakes chocolate ice cream hot chocolate cookies snickerdoodle cupcakes almond biscotti

Blueberry Muffins

breakfast

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1_{⁄3 cup whole milk}

1 large egg 1 large egg yolk

3_{⁄4 teaspoon vanilla}

1 1_{⁄2 cups flour} 3_{⁄4 cup sugar}

1 1_{⁄2 teaspoons baking powder} 3_{⁄4 teaspoon salt}

2 cups blueberries

For the crumb topping:

3 tablespoons cold butter cut into small cubes

1_{⁄2 cup flour}

3 1_{⁄2 tablespoons sugar}

Add the batter to muffin lin-ers and sprinkle the top with the crumb mixture. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Put in a basket and deliver them to some nice people that deserve a treat. Make a batch of these for someone and I promise you that you will have a friend for life.

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Melt the butter and let cool slightly. Whisk in milk, egg, egg yolks, and vanilla until well blended.

In another bowl, whisk to-gether the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Wash and pick over your blueberries. You could toss them in a bit of flour so that they do not sink, but I did not this time.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.

And mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. In a small bowl, fork together the butter, flour, and sugar until the mixture is crumbly.

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Lemon Ricotta Muffins

2 cups flour

1_{⁄2 teaspoon baking powder} 1_{⁄2 teaspoon baking soda} 1_{⁄2 teaspoon salt}

1 cup sugar 1 stick butter room temperature 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons) 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese 1 egg 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1_{⁄2 teaspoon almond extract} 1_{⁄3 cup sliced almonds}

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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. 

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta cheese. Add in the egg, lemon juice and almond extract.

Add the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. This is a thick batter. Using and ice cream scooper, divide the batter into the liners.

Sprinkle the almonds and extra sugar on top. I used a sanding sugar, but regular sugar is just fine.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are a pale golden color. Cool slightly. Serve and enjoy!

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Pancake Muffins

1 1_{⁄2 cups flour}

3 tablespoons sugar

1_{⁄2 teaspoon salt}

4 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon cinnamon 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons maple syrup

1_{⁄4 cup melted butter}

1 tablespoon vanilla

To make the frosting:

1 cup confectioners sugar 2 tablespoons melted butter 2 tablespoons milk

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Whisk the ingredients together until smooth and a pour-ing consistensy. If too thick add more milk, if too thin, add more sugar.

Put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together.

Add the wet ingredients and whisk together until well combined.

Preheat a griddle or large saute pan over medium heat. Cook until brown on both sides.

They are delicious just like this but even better with the frosting.

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1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder

1_{⁄2 teaspoon baking soda} 1_{⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon salt}

2 tablespoons sugar

2_{⁄3 cup buttermilk}

1 egg 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla

1_{⁄2 cup milk chocolate chips}

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Bake the pancake muffins in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes.

While the muffins cool slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and maple syrup. If it is too thick, add a little more syrup or water. Dip the top of the muffin into the maple syrup glaze.

Try not to eat them all. It is gonna be hard. Real hard.

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In a large bowl, whisk

to-gether the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and sugar.

In another small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, maple syrup, butter, and va-nilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix the muffin batter until just combined. Add the choc-olate chips. Fold together. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and put about a tablespoon of muffin batter in each one. I add two extra chocolate chips to the tops of each one.

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Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

breakfast

Christmas Morning Granola

breakfast

4 cups oats

1_{⁄3 cup brown sugar} 1_{⁄4 cup canola oil}

1_{⁄3 cup honey} 3_{⁄4 teaspoon salt}

1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons vanilla

1_{⁄2 cup shredded coconut} 1_{⁄4 cup pepitas} 1_{⁄4 cup chopped walnuts} 1_{⁄3 cup dried cherries}

Bake the granola in a pre-heated 300 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Every 10 minutes or so, give it a stir. You want the granola to dry out and the nuts to toast. Add the dried fruit to the pan and stir it in. Let the granola cool and keep in an airtight container for a week up to 10 days.

Put the granola into a bowl and pour in some milk. If you are feeling really fancy, add some fresh fruit. Or sprinkle the granola over yogurt.

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In a large bowl, (it needs to be pretty big, as you are going to be tossing this) combine the oats, brown sugar, salt, cin-namon, nuts, and coconut. In another bowl, combine the oil, honey, and vanilla. Pour the liquids into the oats and toss well.

Spread the granola out on a parchment lined baking sheet. You clump it up at this point if you like. I like chunks of granola so I leave big globs on the parchment.

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For the rice:

1 1_{⁄3 cups water} 2_{⁄3 cup long grain rice pinch salt}

For the custard:

2 cups whole milk

1_{⁄2 cup heavy cream}

1 vanilla bean split 2 large egg yolks 3 large whole eggs

1_{⁄4 cup honey} 1_{⁄4 cup sugar} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon salt}

zest of one orange 2 tablespoons rum

For the brulee:

1_{⁄3 cup light brown sugar}

Rice Pudding Brulee

breakfast

Put the custard dish inside a larger pan. Add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pan. Bake the cus-tard for one hour or until the custard is set. Let the custard cool and then chill it covered in plastic wrap for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Just before you are ready to serve it, cover the top with the brown sugar. Try to spread the sugar evenly over the top. Do a better job than I did. Broil the sugar 2 to 3 minutes until it is melted. It is easy to burn the sugar, so keep your eye on it. This is really good and comforting. Make it for a dessert or even a brunch.

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In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and a pinch of salt. Sim-mer it, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Transfer the rice to a bowl and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 300 de-grees. Butter a 9 inch shallow baking dish.

Bring the milk and heavy cream to a boil. Split the va-nilla bean in half. Scrape the seeds into the pan. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, sugar, salt, rum, and orange zest. Whisk until well combined.

Add the milk mixture in a slow stream while whisking. Pour the custard into the bak-ing dish.

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1 bar cream cheese

1_{⁄2 cup green enchilada sauce}

2 tablespoons lime juice 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon oregano 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon onion powder salt and pepper 2 cloves minced garlic

1_{⁄3 cup chopped cilantro}

4 green onions, sliced 3 cups shredded cooked chicken 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or a mix of Mexican cheeses 1 large package flour tortillas

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In a large bowl, mash together the cream cheese, enchilada sauce, lime juice, spices, garlic, and green onions.

Mix it together. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cheese, cilantro, and shredded chicken.

Warm up your tortillas so that they are more pliable. Put a few Tablespoons of the filling in the tortilla and roll up.

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Cheese & Chicken Taquitos

lunch

Line a baking sheet with tin foil, spray it with cooking spray. Place the taquitos seam side down. Spray the top with cook-ing spray.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the tortillas are brown and crispy.

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1 rotisserie chicken shredded 1 1_{⁄2 cups barbecue sauce}

(I used my homemade sauce, but your favorite bottle sauce will be wonderful also) 3 tablespoons room temperature butter 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 garlic clove minced finely salt and pepper 4 rolls or 8 slices white bread

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

lunch

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Combine the butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Set the butter aside. The leftover butter is so good on corn, garlic bread, tossed into pasta. It is the same butter that I use for my garlic bread. Yum. Shred the chicken.

Put the chicken into a saucepan and add the bar-becue sauce. Cook over medium heat until heated through.

Meanwhile, butter your rolls. Stick them in a hot oven to toast.

Put some chicken mixture on the toasty, garlic roll.

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Chicken Nuggets

4 chicken breasts cut into pieces 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup crushed cornflakes 1 cup panko crumbs 4 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt

1_{⁄2 teaspoon pepper} 1_{⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice}

Drain the buttermilk from the chicken and drop into the crumb mixture. Coat well. I line a cookie sheet with foil and put a cooling rack on top it the foil. I spray the rack with cooking spray. At this point, you can put these in the freezer. Just add an extra 5-10 minutes to the cooking time. Bake the nug-gets in a 375 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes.

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Cut the chicken into small pieces.

Cover the chicken with but-termilk. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour or over-night. It helps tenderize the chicken. If you do not want to do this, you can dredge them in flour and egg.

Put the other ingredients in a bowl and mix it up.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

1 rotisserie chicken shredded slider buns 3 tablespoons butter

1_{⁄2 cup hot sauce}

4 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons white vinegar

1_{⁄4 teaspoon pepper} 1_{⁄2 teaspoon salt}

For the blue cheese spread:

1_{⁄2 cup sour cream} 1_{⁄4 cup crumbled blue cheese}

1 tablespoon vinegar 3 chopped green onions salt and pepper to taste

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Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the hot sauce, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble. I think that the honey is the most important ingredient in this recipe. 

While you are waiting for your sauce to come to a bubble, toast some buns.

Add the shredded chicken and cook until heated through. Put all of the spread ingredients in a bowl.

Mix it together. Give it a taste to make sure that it is seasoned properly.  

I made a little slider assembly line. I spread some blue cheese spread on one side and added the chicken on top. I put the top on and was done.

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Marinade for chicken:

1_{⁄3 cup olive oil}

3 cloves chopped garlic

1_{⁄4 teaspoon salt} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon pepper}

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used a Tuscan blend, anything would be good though) 3-4 chicken breasts

1 red pepper, diced 1 head Romaine shredded 6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled Honey Mustard

tortillas

Garlic Bacon Chicken Wraps

lunch

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Assemble your ingredients.

Slather your tortilla with honey mustard. The cafe used mayonnaise also, but, well, you know how I feel about mayo.

Add the rest of the ingredients and you are ready to eat. If you have a normal size tortilla, wrap it up. How hard was that? Easy summer dinner. Or lunch. Perfect for any occasion.

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For the Honey Lime Dressing:

1_{⁄4 cup honey}

juice of 3 limes 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 tablespoon cumin

1_{⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper} 1_{⁄3 cup olive oil}

For the salad:

1 head of Romaine shredded 3 green onions, sliced 1 red pepper, diced half of a red onion, sliced thin 2 ears grilled corn (or a bag of thawed frozen corn) half of a bunch of cilantro tomatoes grilled chicken (just seasoned with salt and pepper, and little cumin.

1_{⁄2 cup shredded cheese}

tortilla chips, crushed Your favorite beans

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Put everything except for the olive oil in a bowl and whisk until combined.

While whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil. Whisk until smooth. Taste it. Does it taste balanced? It may need more acid, so add more lime juice or vinegar. Not sweet enough? Add a bit more honey. Maybe more salt and pepper.

Set aside. If it breaks before you are ready to serve, just whisk it back together.

Put everything except for the chips and beans in a large bowl.

Toss it. Add a little dressing. Add some sliced limes. Din-ner is served.

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Taco Salad

lunch

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Spinach Salad

For the pecans: 6 ounces pecan halves 2 tablespoons melted butter 3 tablespoons sugar

1_{⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger}

1 teaspoon curry powder

1_{⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt}

a pinch of cayenne pepper Vinaigrette:

1_{⁄3 cup cider vinegar}

2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1_{⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon pepper} 1_{⁄3 cup olive oil}

To make the salad: 1 (10 ounce) package baby

spinach 1 Gala or Fuji apple thinly sliced 1 small red onion thinly sliced

1_{⁄2 cup blue cheese crumbles}

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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Toss the pecan in all the melted butter with the remaining ingredients. Toss to coat the pecans completely. Spread the nuts on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 13 minutes. Cool and set aside. You can make these a few days ahead of time and keep them in an airtight container. Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake until combined. Dressing done.You can make this a few days ahead of time also. Keep it in the frdige un-til you are ready to use it. This makes a lot of dressing. Use about 1/4 and go from there when dressing your salad.

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Put everything into the bowl. Season the leaves with a little salt and fresh black pepper. Toss with 1/4 of the dressing On this particular evening, I made this a dinner salad. I marinated the chicken in some of the dressing with about a tablespoon of curry powder whisked in. I wanted the flavor of the chicken to mirror the flavors of the nuts. We grilled the chicken and sliced it on the bias. I drizzled a little more dressing on the top of the grilled chicken. Looking at these pictures again are mak-ing me very hungry.

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appetizers

7 bacon slices 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 packages cream cheese, softened

1_{⁄3 cup half and half} 1_{⁄2 cup blue cheese crumbles}

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1_{⁄3 cup toasted chopped walnuts}

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Cook the chopped bacon in a skillet until brown and crispy over medium high heat, about 10 minutes.

Drain the bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Have you ever seen a more gorgeous pic-ture? Add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Beat the cream cheese with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add the half and half and mix until well combined.

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Blue Cheese Bacon Dip

Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese, chives, and walnuts (re-serve a few nuts and chives for the top). Taste for seasoning. I added a pinch of salt and a lot of pepper. Spoon the mixture into a small casserole dish or 4 (1-cup) ramekins.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden and bubbly. Garnish with remaining walnuts and chives. Serve with grapes, apple slices and crackers or toasted baguette would be nice too.

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Italian Sub Dip

Italian Sub Dip:

1_{⁄4 pound Capicola or imported}

ham (sliced thick)

1_{⁄4 pound Genoa Salami (sliced}

thick)

1_{⁄4 pound pepperoni (sliced thick)} 1_{⁄2 pound Provolone cheese (sliced}

thick) 2 medium tomatoes or 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1_{⁄2 onion, diced} 1_{⁄2 cup shredded Iceberg lettuce}

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 4 tablespoons hot pepper spread Salt Pepper 1 tablespoon oregano

Focaccia:

2 teaspoons rapid rising yeast 1 cup warm water 2 Tablespoons sugar 3 1_{⁄2 to 4 cups flour}

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1_{⁄4 cup olive oil}

Pour in the olive oil. When the dough starts to come together turn the mixer to medium and mix until smooth, about 10 minutes.

Periodically, stop the machine and pull the dough off. The dough should be elastic and smooth.

Place the dough in a bowl coated with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Lightly coat a baking sheet with oil. Roll out into desired shape. Place on sheet and let sit for 15 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

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Cube the meats and cheese into small cubes.

Put it in a bowl and add the chopped tomatoes, and onions.

Add in the hot pepper spread and oregano. Season well with salt and pepper.

Combine well and chill. Let the flavors combine for an hour or overnight. Right before you are going to serve, toss in the Iceberg lettuce. Serve with toasted bread. In the bowl of a stand mixer proof the yeast with the sugar and warm water. Let stand 3 minutes until foamy. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour. Dissolve the salt in 2 Tablespoons of warm wa-ter and add this to the bowl.

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1 large green pepper diced 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 (14-ounce) artichokes chopped 2 sticks of cream cheese softened

1_{⁄2 cup chopped green onions} 1_{⁄2 cup chopped pimento}

1 cup Parmesan cheese grated 1 1_{⁄2 Tablespoons lemon juice}

4 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce 3 jalapenos chopped fine 1 teaspoon celery salt 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat

1_{⁄3 cup sliced almonds}

pita chips for dipping

Crab Dip

appetizers

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The only cooking that needs to be done. Saute the green pepper until soft.

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy.

Add everything except the crab and almonds to the bowl. Mix well.

Pick over the crab for shells. Gently fold into the mixture.

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Spoon the mixture into a casserole dish. 

Cover the top with the sliced almonds.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.

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Roquamole

1 cup blue cheese crumbled

1_{⁄4 cup sour cream}

2 ripe avocados

1_{⁄4 cup sliced pickled jalapenos}

2 spring onions sliced chips for serving

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Fork together the sour cream and blue cheese. Add in the ripe avocados and mash together. My weapon of choice is a potato masher. Mash until fairly smooth.

Add in the green onions and jalapenos. Give it a stir.

 

Check to make sure that it is seasoned properly. It may need a little salt.

Add some green onions for garnish and set out some chips. You are ready for a party.

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Baked Potato Dip

1_{⁄4 pound thick cut bacon}

1 (16-ounce) container sour cream 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1_{⁄3 cup chopped fresh chives}

2 teaspoons hot sauce waffle fries or potato chips

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Put everything in the bowl. (I save a little bacon and chives to garnish with.)

Mix. We are really cooking now. Pour it into your container and let chill for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Garnish with the reserved bacon and chives. Serve with some chips or waffle fries.

Grab an icy cold beverage and dip away.

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Baked Potato Soup

dinner

1 (5-pound bag) Yukon Gold potatoes 1 large container chicken broth salt and pepper

toppings:

grated cheddar cheese sliced green onions chopped bacon sour cream

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Bake your potatoes and let them cool. Scoop out the flesh.

I use my immersion blender for this, but until I got that, I used a regular blender and pureed it in batches. Add the potato to a pot and add some chicken stock. Add enough chicken stock to get the consistency of a thick soup. Add salt and pepper. It will take a lot of seasoning so add slowly and taste frequently. Heat over low to medium heat until hot and serve.

Top the soup as you would a baked potato.

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Bruschetta Pasta

1_{⁄3 cup olive oil}

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 Tablespoons capers 1 clove minced garlic 8 ounces fresh mozzarella 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved

1_{⁄2 cup chopped fresh basil} 1_{⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf}

parsley 1 box orecchiette (or any other tube pasta you have)

1_{⁄4 cup reserved cooking liquid}

salt and pepper

1_{⁄3 cup roasted pine nuts}

Parmesan cheese

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In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, capers, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes and moz-zarella.

Give a good toss. Let this marinate for 30 minutes if pos-sible. I do this if I have time, if I don’t I do this while the water is boiling for the pasta. Toss in the basil and parsley. I reserve a little for adding at the very end.

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Cook the pasta in a pot of salted water.

Make sure to reserve at least 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta and the reserved pasta water. Toss well. Check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Sprinkle the reserved herbs on the top. Add the pine nuts and some Parmesan cheese.

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Turkey Pesto Meatballs

dinner

2 pounds ground turkey breast 1 1_{⁄2 cups bread crumbs} 1_{⁄2 teaspoon salt} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper} 1_{⁄2 cup pesto sauce} 1_{⁄3 cup grated Parmesan cheese}

2 eggs whites

Sauce:

2 onions diced 2 carrots chopped 2 Tablespoons tomato paste 2 garlic gloves minced 2 – 28 ounce cans of crushed

tomatoes 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt

1_{⁄2 teaspoon pepper}

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Mix everything in a bowl and combine well. Roll mixtures into balls. I use an ice cream scoop to make them all the same size. I put them on a cooling rack on top of a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with a little cooking spray.

Bake the meatballs at 375 de-grees for about 20-25 minutes. In the meantime, I start on the sauce.

Saute the onions and carrots until tender, about 10 minutes over medium heat.

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Add the tomato paste, bay leaves, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let sim-mer over low heat for about an hour. The sauce should thicken a bit.

Add the meatballs back in to heat through and serve.

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Passover Brisket

1 – 3.5 pound brisket 3 onions sliced thin

3_{⁄4 cup chili sauce} 1_{⁄4 cup ketchup}

1 cup red wine 4 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 3 cloves chopped garlic 1 teaspoon fresh thyme salt and pepper

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Mix all of the sauce ingredi-ents together. Give it a taste. It should be a good balance of sweet and sour. If it needs more sweet, add more sugar, if it needs more sour, add more vinegar. Season well.

Pat brisket dry. This is a very important step. The beef needs to be very dry before it goes into the pan. Season with salt and pepper right before you sear it. Crank up the heat in your pan and add a little oil. It needs to be screaming hot before the beef goes in. We are after a nice crispy crust on the outside of our brisket.

When both sides are seared put it in your roasting pan. Pour the sauce all over the brisket. Cover the brisket with the sliced onions. Add a few sprigs of thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cover

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Put the brisket in a 300 degree oven. I hesitate to give an exact time as it depends on how large your brisket is. Mine was 3.5 pounds and it cooked for almost 3 hours. Brisket should be fork tender. If it is not fork tender, put it back in the oven until it is.

Let it rest a bit before you cut it. Slice on the bias against the grain. If you cut with the grain, you will lost the texture of the brisket and it will be tough. This can be made a day ahead of time. In fact, I recommend that you do make it in advance. I served this with smashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, thyme and white wine car-rots, matzah and homemade haroset.

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Caprese Chicken

dinner

1 package of chicken breast 1 cup of baby sweet tomatoes 1 medium red onion diced 1 ball of mozzarella cheese

1_{⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil} 1_{⁄3 cup olive oil} 1_{⁄3 cup balsamic vinegar}

salt and pepper

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Cut everything into bite size pieces. Add to the bowl. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add the oil and vinegar.

Give everything a toss. Taste it to make sure that the seasoning is right.

Set aside for an hour or two. Taste it again before you are going to serve it. Grill some chicken. I just brushed it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Top the grilled chicken with the caprese and dinner is served.

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Chicken Tandoori Burgers

1 1_{⁄2 pounds ground chicken}

breast 4 green onions 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons cumin

1_{⁄2 teaspoons ground cardamom} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper}

salt and pepper to taste Naan bread cucumber cilantro red onion sliced thinly

To make the Yogurt Sauce:

1 small container fat free plain Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped 2 teaspoons cumin 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice salt and pepper

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Put the chicken and all of the spices in a bowl and mix well. Form into 4 patties.

Mix the yogurt sauce in a small bowl. Set aside. Slice some cucumbers, red onions, and cilantro. Cook the Tandoori Chicken Burgers on a preheated grill over medium-medium high grill. About 3 min-utes per side. Throw the Naan bread on the grill during the last few minutes.

Top the burgers with a few sliced cucumbers, red onion, and a generous handful of cilantro.

Add the yogurt sauce and there you have it, the easiest and freshest tasting burger ever.

As my daughter would say, “grub, grub”. This easy Tan-doori Chicken Burger is going to be pretty popular on your summer grill rotation.

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Chicken with Boursin Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts salt and pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup cremini mushrooms 1 tablespoon butter 1 minced shallot

1_{⁄2 cup white wine} 1_{⁄4 cup crumbled Boursin cheese}

(Garlic and Fine Herbs) 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

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Dry your chicken breasts with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper. Flip them over and season the other side. Cook until brown and turn over, about 5 minutes. Flip over and reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook about 15 minutes more or until the chicken reaches 160 degrees. Transfer to a plate and cover with tin foil to keep warm. Add the mushrooms and butter to the pan.

Add the shallot and cook until it begins to soften, about a minute.

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Add the wine to the pan and scrape up all of the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine cooks almost all of the way out.

Take the pan off of the heat and whisk in the Boursin cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the Boursin sauce over the chicken. I served the chicken with simple steamed green beans and a rice pilaf. There you have a perfect, quick, chicken recipe that took all of 30 min-utes to get on the table. And it is delicious.

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Indian Butter Chicken

dinner

1 onion chopped 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger 2 cloves minced garlic 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1_{⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander}

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 2 1_{⁄2 cups chicken broth} 1⁄2 cup heavy cream

2 bay leaves 1 1_{⁄2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken}

breast cut into small cubes

1_{/2 teaspoon grated pepper}

1 teaspoon salt

1_{⁄4 cup butter lime wedges}

chopped cilantro

cooked Basmati rice

In a large sauté pan coated with olive oil, cook the onions, jalapeno, ginger, and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 min-utes or until slightly browned. Add the garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Cook for two more minutes, stirring frequently. Scrape the onion and spice mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Add the to-mato paste and chicken broth and process until smooth. Add the puree back into the saute pan and add the bay leaves and the cream. Let come to a boil and reduce heat and let simmer until it has reduced to about 3 cups. It takes about 5 to 7 min-utes. Stir frequently. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and set aside. I clean out the pan and get it ready to cook my

Dry the chicken well with paper towels and season gen-erously with salt and pepper. Preheat the pan to high. Add the chicken and 1 Tablespoon butter. Cook the chicken until it starts to brown and turns opaque. About 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sauce back to the pan and cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through. Add the remaining butter to the sauce and stir until it is melted and incorporated. Add the sauce back to the pan and cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through. Add the remaining butter to the sauce and stir until it is melted and incorporated.

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Barbacao

dinner

For the beef:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 pounds beef suitable for

stew-ing 1 large diced yellow onion 8 cloves minced garlic 1 tablespoon cumin 1 1_{⁄2 tablespoon oregano}

20 whole cloves 4 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce 1 cup chicken stock

1 cup water 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons white vinegar

To put the dinner together:

tortillas salsa guacamole Monterey Jack cheese shredded sliced limes sauteed red kidney beans cilantro

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Dry the beef with a paper tow-el. Generously salt and pepper the beef. Brown the beef in a few Tablespoons oil in batches if you don’t have room in your pan. I use a dutch oven so that I can put it in my oven to finish cooking. Take the beef out and add the onions. Add more oil if you need it.

Season the onions with some kosher salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic, cook for a few seconds. Add the cumin, oregano, chipotle, and cloves to the pan. Cook while stirring for a minute.

Add the beef, chicken stock, water, and bay leaves to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover with a lid. I put the beef in a 325 degree oven for approximately

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tender. You could also keep this on the stove and simmer it until tender.

Test to make sure that the beef is tender enough to shred with a fork. If it is not shredding easily, put it back in the oven for a bit longer. When it is ready to come out of the oven, add the white vinegar. Check for seasoning.

To finish off the dinner, I dress the beef like I would a taco. Warm some tortillas, make some guacamole, saute some beans, set out some limes, cheese, cilantro, and sour cream.

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Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

dessert

1 1_{⁄2 cups whole milk}

1 1_{⁄8 cups sugar}

3 cups heavy cream 1 tablespoon vanilla 15 Oreos crushed

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Put the milk in the bowl of the mixer. Add the sugar and mix until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.

Add in the cream, and vanilla

Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine. Follow the directions that came with your ice cream maker. Mine says to turn it on and let it go for about 25 minutes. If you are adding in Oreos, wait until the last 5 minutes to add them to the machine.

Let the machine do its thing.

Put the ice cream into a container and put it into the freezer to continue freezing.

Scoop and enjoy!

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Reese Cheesecake Bars

dessert

7 graham crackers 6 tablespoons melted butter, cooled 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons flour

1_{⁄8 teaspoon salt}

2 packages cream cheese, room temperature

2_{⁄3 cups sugar}

2 eggs

1_{⁄4 cup sour cream}

1 teaspoon vanilla 12 whole Reese Peanut Butter Cups, cut into 6 pieces 2 ounce semisweet chocolate melted

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Line an 8-inch baking pan with foil. Let about 3-4 inches of foil hang over so they will be easy to lift out. Put the graham crackers in the food processor until the graham crackers are crushed fine. Add the sugar, butter, flour and salt. Pulse until combined. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until crust begins to brown. Let cool while you make the filling. Put the cream cheese in the processor and run until smooth. I let it run for about 3 minutes. Add in the sugar, and cream again until everything is light and fluffy.

Scrape the bowl and add in the eggs one at a time.

Add in the sour cream and vanilla.

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Pour the batter into the cooled crust. Add in 9 of the chopped peanut butter cups. Save the rest for garnish. Bake until the cheesecake is just set but the middle still jiggles. About 35 to 40 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Let the bars cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with foil with and refrigerate for 3 hours before cutting. Pull the bars from the pan and cut into squares.

Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the bars. Top with the remaining peanut butter cups.

These bars were a huge hit. If you like peanut butter cups, you will love these.

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Pecan Brittle

For the brittle basket:

2 sticks butter

3_{⁄4 cup sugar}

1 cup corn syrup

1_{⁄2 teaspoon vanilla}

1 cup pecans

3_{⁄4 cups flour} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon salt}

To finish the dessert:

vanilla bean ice cream

1_{⁄4 cup sliced strawberries} 1_{⁄4 cup chopped pineapple} 1_{⁄4 cup blueberries} 1_{⁄4 cup sliced kiwi} 1_{⁄4 cup chopped mango}

freshly whipped cream

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In a food processor, grind the pecans. Sift the flour and salt together three times. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the pecans and the flour. Add the vanilla in off of the heat.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using an ice cream scoop, drop the batter on to the cookie sheet. Give the cookies room as they expand during baking.

Bake the cookies in a preheated 275 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

I am pretty sure this is not how they do it at the restaurant,

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but I took a pair of scissors and cut the parchment around the cookies and lifted up the cookie and turned it over a custard cup. I let the cookies firm up for about a minute and then turned them out to cool completely.

To finish off the dessert. Cut up some fruit. Carolina’s serves the Pecan Brittle Basket with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, fresh fruit and fresh whipped cream.

I had strawberries, raspberries, and pineapple so that is what I used. 

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Cannoli Dip

dessert

1 15 ounce container ricotta cheese

1_{⁄2 cup sugar}

2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon orange zest 2 teaspoons cinnamon

1_{⁄2 cup miniature chocolate chips} 1_{⁄3 cup shelled pistachios}

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Put the ricotta cheese and sugar in the food processor and run until smooth and creamy. You can easily do this by hand, but I really like how it almost has a whipped quality to it.

Zest some orange. It will make your kitchen smell deli-cious.

Add the cinnamon, orange zest, and vanilla.

Take the cream out of the food processor and fold in the nuts and chips. I save some to add to the top as a garnish.

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Lemon Pots de Creme

dessert

2 cups heavy cream or half and half

1_{⁄2 teaspoon vanilla}

6 egg yolks 1 lemon peeled and juice reserved 2 tablespoons lavender

1_{⁄2 cup sugar} 1_{⁄8 teaspoon salt}

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In a saucepan gently bring the cream, lemon peel, and dried lavender to a simmer.

Take the cream off of the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl. Beat until they are light and lemon colored. Add in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Pour the cream through a strainer. Pour 1_{⁄4 cup of the warm cream} mixture into the egg mixture. Slowly add the rest of the cream and whisk well. Pour the mixture into a large mea-suring cup, it makes it easier to pour into the ramekins. Put 6 ramekins or souffle cups in a large roasting pan. Pour the pots de creme mixture into the ramekins and pour boil-ing water halfway up the sides. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the pan and let cool for 30 minutes. Cover them and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

I garnished my pots de creme with some additional dried lavender.

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Grand Marnier Pecan Pie

3_{⁄4 cup light corn syrup}

1_{⁄2 cup brown sugar}

3 tablespoons melted butter 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier

1_{⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon} 1_{⁄4 teaspoon salt zest from one}

orange 2 1_{⁄2 cups pecan halves}

cinnamon whipped cream

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In a bowl, whisk together the corn syrup and brown sugar. Whisk in the butter, Grand Marnier, and vanilla.

Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time.

Whisk in the orange zest, salt, and cinnamon.

Prepare your pie crust. I keep mine chilling in fridge until just before I am going to fill it. Add the pecans to the crust.

Pour the corn syrup mixture over the pecans.

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Put the pie on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Put the pie in a preheated 425 degree oven. Bake for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Make a ring out of tin foil to protect the crust from getting too brown. Bake for another 20 minutes. You will know when it is done when it stops jiggling when you move it and when the top is puffed and golden.

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Lemon Bars

For the crust:

2 cups flour 1 cup confectioners’ sugar pinch of salt 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

For the filling:

4 eggs 2 cups sugar 4 tablespoons lemon juice 4 tablespoons flour

1_{⁄2 teaspoon lemon extract}

1 teaspoon baking powder

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. In a food processor, put the dry ingredients in the bowl and pulse. Add the butter and pulse until it turns into the size of peas. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 20 minutes.

Let the crust cool a bit and start on the filling. Put all of the filling ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and process until smooth. Right before you are ready to pour it over the crust, add the baking powder. Give it one more whirl and you can pour it in. Pour it gently on top of the crust or the crust can break.

Bake the lemon bars for another 25 minutes or until the lemon filling is set.

Cut into squares and share with a friend.

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Peanut Butter Pie

dessert

For the crust:

1 1_{⁄2 cups graham cracker crumbs} 1_{⁄3 cup sugar}

6 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling:

2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 cup peanut butter (I use smooth) 4 oz. cream cheese

3_{⁄4 cup sugar}

1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup chocolate chips

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I start with the crust. Mix to-gether graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter and press into a pie pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Let cool and start on the filling. Add sugar and melted butter. Press the graham cracker mix-ture into the pan

Whip the heavy cream and set aside.

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Cream together the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add the vanilla. Fold the whip cream mixture into the peanut butter mix-ture. Add the chips.

Pour into cooled crust. Chill before serving. Enjoy!

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Cherry Buckle

1 stick butter room temperature 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup flour

1_{⁄2 teaspoon salt} 1_{⁄2 teaspoon baking powder}

2 3_{⁄4 cups fruit (or 1 pint)}

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Pit the cherries

Onto the batter. Cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time until well mixed.

Add the remaining ingredients until just combined.

Add the cherries to a buttered, 2 quart baking dish.

Cover the cherries with the batter.

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Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

It will come out all beautiful and golden brown. Let it cool for about 15-20 minutes before serving.

Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar. Or my favorite way, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If baking from frozen, add about 10 to 15 minutes extra cooking time

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Coconut Cake

For the cake: Cooking spray 12 ounces cake flour sifted (about 3 cups) 2 teaspoons baking powder

1_{⁄4 teaspoon salt}

1 3_{⁄4 cups sugar, divided} 2_{⁄3 cups softened butter}

1 cup warm coconut milk (from 1 small coconut or Goya brand coconut water) 1 teaspoon vanilla 6 large egg whites

For the frosting: 4 large egg whites

1_{⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar} 1_{⁄8 teaspoon salt}

2 tablespoons sugar 1 1_{⁄4 cups sugar} 1_{⁄4 cup water}

1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups fresh shaved coconut, toasted

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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat (3) 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Beat egg whites on high speed until foamy. Add 2 Tablespoons sugar, one Tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Be careful to not overbeat. Set aside. Combine 12 ounces cake flour, baking powder, and salt, whisk well. Place 1 1_{⁄2 cups plus 2} tablespoons sugar and butter in a large bowl beat with a mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and creamy.

Add flour mixture and coconut water alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add in vanilla.

Carefully, fold your egg whites into the cake batter.

Pour the batter into prepared pans. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool

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in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on a rack.

Meanwhile, start your frosting. Com-bine the eggs whites, cream of tartar and salt and beat until foamy. Add 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time beating until stiff peaks form. Just like we did for the cake.

Put 1 1_{⁄4 cups sugar and} 1_{⁄4 cup water in} a handled saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook without stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees. With the mixer on low pour the extremely hot sugar syrup in a thin stream into the egg whites.

Gradually increase the speed to high and beat about 8 minutes. It is done when the bowl is cool to the touch. Stir in the vanilla.

Frost your cake. Gently press coconut on the top and sides of cake. And finally, you are ready to eat.

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Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

dessert

1 1_{⁄2 cups whole milk}

1 1_{⁄4 cups sugar}

3 cups heavy cream 1 tablespoon vanilla 2 cups fresh mint leaves 4 ounces bittersweet or

semi-sweet chocolate

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Over medium low heat, sim-mer the mint leaves with the cream. As soon as the cream is hot, turn the heat off and let the mint steep in the cream for at least an hour.

Add the sugar and va-nilla while the mixture is still warm. Add the milk.

Strain out the mint leaves. Push the mint leaves with a spatula to get out every last drop of mintyness.

Put the ice cream mixture in the fridge for two hours or overnight. It really helps with the freezing in the machine. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker. Follow the instructions that came with your ice cream maker. Mine takes about 30-40 minutes to freeze.

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In the meantime, melt the chocolate. You could do this using a double boiler, but the microwave is my preferred method of choice to melt chocolate. 30 seconds at 50% power. Take it out and stir. Cook again in 15 second in-tervals, stirring until melted. Add about a third of the ice cream and drizzle the choco-late all over. The chocochoco-late starts to freeze as soon as it hits the cold ice cream. So be generous with your chocolate drizzling.

Repeat the layers until you are out of ice cream and chocolate.

It is going to be super hard to do this, but you need to put this back in the freezer for another 2 hours or until it is frozen solid.

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Dirt Cake

2 packages Oreos crushed (leave 10 or however many pots you are making whole to plug the bottom of your pot) 2 packages chocolate pudding 3 cups heavy cream 2 cups powdered sugar 2 sticks cream cheese softened 1 teaspoon vanilla

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Make the chocolate pudding according to the package di-rections. Whip the cream. Set aside. Cream the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla. Combine the pudding into the cream cheese mixture. Then fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.

Get your pots ready. I ran these through the dishwasher and let them dry overnight. Put a whole Oreo on top of the hole in the bottom of the flower pot so that the pudding does not leak out.

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Layer some crushed Oreos on the top of the whole Oreo. Add the pudding mixture. Drop in some gummy candies.

Cover the top with more crushed Oreos.

Add some cleaned, fake flowers. Let the pots chill for at least one hour or overnight. I made these the day before.

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Key Lime Pie

graham cracker crust 4 eggs 1 cup sugar

3_{⁄4 cup key lime juice} 1_{⁄2 cup butter cut into small pieces}

1 teaspoon gelatin, softened 1 lime zested whipped cream

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In the top of a double boiler (I don’t have one, so I use a saucepan filled halfway with water and a large metal bowl on top) combine the sugar, eggs, and lime juice. Whisk constantly over me-dium heat. When the mixture starts to thicken, add one piece of butter at a time. Whisk constantly until the butter has melted. Add one piece at a time until you have added all of the butter. The lime curd will be thick.

Add the softened gelatin (I sprinkle the teaspoon

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of gelatin over some water, 2 Tablespoons maybe until it has dissolved) to the lime mixture. Strain your lime mixture to guar-antee that there are no egg pieces in your lime curd.

Add the lime zest.

Pour the lime curd into the cooled crust. Let chill for at least 3 hours before serving to let the filling set up. Garnish with whipped cream and extra lime zest.

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Flag Cupcakes

2 boxes of your favorite cake mix gel food coloring

for the frosting:

1 stick butter 1 brick cream cheese 2-3 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla

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Make 2 boxes of your favorite white cake mix. I use gel food coloring because the color is deep and true. Get your batters to your desired colors. Remem-ber though that it will bake a touch darker.

I start with blue on the bottom. Add the white layer, then cover the top with red. I spread the red all over the top because I want people to be surprised when they bite into these. I made a batch of cream cheese

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frosting. Combine the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. You could always use a canned frosting too.

Take the sparkly decorating gel and draw two blue lines and two red lines on the inside of the piping bag. Fill the bag with the white frosting. When you pipe it, it gives a cool tie-dye, effect.

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Chocolate Ice Cream

1 cup cocoa powder

3_{⁄4 cup brown sugar}

1 1_{⁄2 cups whole milk}

3 1_{⁄4 cups heavy cream}

1 tablespoon vanilla

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I put the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Then I measured out the milk. And then I decided that I was lazy. I put it in the mixer. If you are not lazy like me, then whisk it by hand until it is combined. Add the cream.

Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and mix according to the directions for your machine.

After 30 minutes it is ready to be put into a container to finishing freezing in the freezer. 

Put the ice cream into another container and let freeze in the freezer for about 2 hours.

Scoop and enjoy.

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dessert

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Hot Chocolate Cookies

2 sticks room temperature butter 1 cup sugar

2_{⁄3 cup brown sugar}

2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 1_{⁄4 cups flour}

4 packages Hot Chocolate Mix (not sugar free) 1 teaspoon salt 1 1_{⁄4 teaspoon baking soda}

1 cup each white, milk, and semi-sweet chocolate chips

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Cream together both sugars and the butter until light and fluffy.

In another bowl, whisk to-gether the dry ingredients. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Slowly add in the dry ingredi-ents. I did this in stages, scrap-ing the bowl each time. Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough. This part gave my Kitchen-Aid a bit of a workout. Chill the dough for an hour.

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Drop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. I used my favorite tool for the job. My trusty ice cream scooper.

Bake them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

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Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

dessert

For the cupcakes:

1 1_{⁄2 cups all purpose flour}

1 1_{⁄2 cake flour (not self rising)}

1 tablespoon baking powder

1_{⁄2 teaspoon salt}

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon plus 1_{⁄2 teaspoon for dusting}

2 sticks butter, room temperature 1 3_{⁄4 cups sugar plus 2}

Table-spoons for dusting 4 large eggs, room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 1_{⁄4 cups milk}

For frosting:

1 1_{⁄2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons}

sugar

2_{⁄3 cup water}

2 tablespoons light corn syrup 6 large egg whites at room

tem-perature 1 teaspoon vanilla

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In a bowl, whisk together both flours, salt, baking powder and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Cream butter and sugar togeth-er until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating until each is incorporated scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches alternating with two additions of milk and beating until com-bined after each.

Put batter in lined muffin tins filling each 3/4 full. Put in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Rotate pan once during cooking.

Let cool completely. Start on the frosting. Put 1 1/2 cups sugar, corn syrup and water in a small saucepan. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan bring to a boil over medium

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sugar dissolves. Continue boil-ing without stirrboil-ing until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

Meanwhile, whisk egg whites on medium high speed until soft peaks form.

With mixture running add 2 Tablespoons sugar beating to combine. As soon as syrup reaches 230 degrees remove from heat. With mixture on medium low speed pour sugar mixture down the side of the bowl in a slow steady stream. Raise speed to medium high and whip until mixture is completely cool and stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. Whisk 7 minutes or until bowl is cool. Use immediately. At this point you could just frost the cupcakes and call it a day. Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sieve through a fine sieve to dust the top.

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Almond Biscotti

dessert

3_{⁄4 cup hazelnuts or almonds}

4 tablespoons cold butter

1_{⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar}

1 large cold egg 1 1_{⁄2 teaspoons anisette}

1 1_{⁄4 cups flour}

2 tablespoon cornmeal 1 teaspoon baking powder

1_{⁄2 teaspoon salt}

1 1_{⁄2 teaspoon anise seed}

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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parch-ment paper.

Roast the nuts on a baking sheet until they are fragrant and beginning to color. (If using ha-zelnuts, gather them in a towel, rub to remove some of the skin and pick out the nuts.) Finely chop 1_{⁄4 cup of the nuts, coarsely} chop the remainder.

Barely cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg and anisette.

In a separate bowl, combine the nuts, flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and anise seeds. Add to the butter mixture. Divide the dough in half. Roll the dough into logs. Add a little flour to the counter if the dough starts to stick.

Put the logs on a baking sheet

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They will spread considerably. Bake until slightly brown and firm on the surface. About 15 to 20 minutes. Rotate the pan if they are not browning evenly. Do not underbake. Slice the cookies on an angle with a serrated knife. Put them back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until lightly brown.

Let them cool on a rack and store in an airtight container. These keep really well and taste even better a few days later. 

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Orange Marmalade

4 large seedless oranges 2 lemons 1 vanilla bean split 8 cups sugar 8 cups water

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Cut the oranges and lemons in half and then into paper thin slices.

Put the sliced fruit and all of their juices into a pot. Add 8 cups water and bring the mix-ture to a boil, stirring often.  Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Add the vanilla bean. Cover and allow to stand at room temperature overnight.

The next day, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 2 hours. Turn the heat to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 30 minutes. Skim off any foam. Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.

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If you want to be doubly sure that that the marmalade is ready, place a small amount on a plate and refrigerate until it is cool. If it is firm (neither too runny or too hard) it is done. It will be a gold-en orange color. If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it. If it is too hard, add more water. Pour the marmalade into clean, hot Mason jars. Wipe the rim thoroughly and seal the lids. Store in the pantry up to one year.

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