Monday, May 30, 2016

Cherry Clafoutis pie

Approx 20 oz fresh sweet cherries, pitted (enough to fill the bottom of a deep 9.5 - 10" round pie dish), 2 Tbs melted butter, 4 eggs, 1/4 cup Half & Half, 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp almond extract , 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, powdered sugar (optional for dusting).

Preheat oven @ 350 degrees.  Grease pie dish liberally with butter and sprinkle bottom with 2 Tbs of sugar.  Arrange pitted cherries in a single layer on top of sugared bottom of pie dish and set aside. 

In a blender place 4 eggs and blend for about 30 seconds so eggs are light and fluffy, add remaining sugar and salt and blend 20 seconds, add flour, both extracts and blend smooth (approx 1 minute), add 2 Tbs melted butter and blend another 20 seconds. Batter will be thin.  Pour over top of cherries in pie dish and bake for 45 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  Cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.  Can service warm or chilled.

Green Goddess Basil Salad Dressing

6 Tbs. Champagne wine vinegar, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 2 Tbs. Basil Pesto sauce, 1oz fresh Basil leaves, 7oz Fage brand 2% Greek yogurt (single serving container), 4oz mayonnaise.

Place all ingredients in a blender / food processor / VitaMix and blend until smooth.  Store in a lidded container / jar and keep refrigerated until ready to use.  Serve over a fresh salad of your choice.

Note:  See my homemade Pesto recipe if you desire to use homemade pesto with this recipe.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling



3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 - 15 oz. can of pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together brown sugar, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Using a pastry bag with a round tip, or a big zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped, squeeze out concentric circles of batter, starting from the middle and working outward until the circles are about 2 inches in diameter. Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.
Cream Cheese Filling
1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 - 16 oz. package of powdered sugar
about a capful of vanilla extract
a pinch of cinnamon (to taste)
Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Frost flat side of half the pies and top with another piece.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Deep Dish Ricotta Veggie Pie

1 pie shell, 1 cup roasted/grilled veggies (Wegmans has them prepared in their freezer section! They have eggplant, zucchini, red & yellow bell peppers & onions), a few sliced small mushrooms, 1 cup whole milk Ricotta, 1 cup grated Pecorino-Romano or Locatelli cheese, 3 beaten eggs, 1 lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese. 3 - 5 Calamata pitted olives (sliced in half). Saute in a non stick pan sliced mushrooms and add approximate 1/2 (16 oz) bag grilled/roasted mixed veggies until tender & set aside. Beat eggs with electric mixer until light yellow & bubbly. Add ricotta and grated cheese and stir to mix. Add cooked veggies and continue to stir to blend. Empty 1/2 of this mixture in the bottom of the pie shell and spread to cover bottom. Sprinkle approx 8 oz of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top of 1st layer. Add remaining mixture on top of cheese and spread to cover. Sprinkle another 6 oz of sharp cheddar on top (or as much as you like). Decorate top with sliced Calamata olives (cut side down). Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 55 minutes - 1 hour (baking time depends on your oven). Mine only needed 55 minutes. Remove from oven when top is browned. Will rise up about and inch from the top when done. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving. Thanks to Al Gorgoni for sharing this recipe. When enjoying this dish I can hear / imagine Italian music playing in the background... it is that fabulous!

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