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August 29, 2005

Raymond Beurre Blanc

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Another wonderful recepie from the Food Network show Good Eats.
Let butter be your friend again... :)

Ingredients:

  • 1 to 2 shallots, chopped fine
  • 8 ounces white wine
  • 2 ounces lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • Salt and white pepper, to taste

Combine the shallots, white wine, and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons.

Add the cream to the reduction. Once the liquid bubbles, reduce the heat to low. Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking first on the heat and then off the heat. Continue whisking butter into the reduction until the mixture is fully emulsified and has reached a rich sauce consistency. Season with salt and white pepper. Store beurre blanc in a thermos until ready to serve.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

Posted by rimblas at 10:35 PM | Comments (0)

Lemon Pie

Recipe by Aurora Rimblas

You wont believe how simple and delicious this pie is. And as a plus it's also healthy!

Ingredients:

  • The juice of 8-10 limes (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 envelope of unflavored gelatine
  • 1 8oz soft tofu
  • 1 8oz Light Neufchatel cheese
  • 1 can condensed light milk
  • 1 graham pie crust

Preparation:

In a small saucepan add the lime juice at meduim heat, once it starts to bubble arround the edges, turn to low heat and add the gelatine and stir until disolved, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Add to the food processor the tofu, cheese and milk and mix until well blended, add the lime juice and keep mixing ultil smooth (about 1 minute)

Pour the mixture over the pie crust and place in the refrigerator until set (about 1 hr)
Enjoy!

Posted by aurora at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

August 28, 2005

Mango Citrus Relish

Recipe by Jorge Rimblas

This is a fresh topping that goes well with fish.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup purple onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper, diced in small cubes (green or red bell pepper will do too)
  • Juice from 1 orange
  • Juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup mango, diced in small cubes
  • 1 tomato, diced in small cubes
  • Small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • salt to taste

Combine the onion, orange pepper with olive oil in a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Cook until onions start becoming transparent, about 2 min. Remove from heat and set aside. In same saucepan add orange and lime juice and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, add sugar and reduce for 2 minutes.
Turn heat off, return onions and peppers add all remaining ingredients, except for avocado. Let cool off at room temperature. Preferably allow it to sit for 1 hour. Add avocado cubes when ready to serve and salt to taste (if needed)

It's okay for mango to have a tart flavor (meaning not ripe enough).
Use as a side, garnish or a sauce. Wonderful complement to fish.

Serves 4.

Posted by rimblas at 3:30 PM | Comments (0)

Creme Brulee

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Another wonderful recepie from the Food Network show Food 911.
A ultimate in custards, so simple, so rich, so praised...

Ingredients:

  • 9 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup superfine white sugar plus 6 tablespoons
  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • 1 vanilla bean

  Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together egg yolks and sugar with a whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and thick.

Pour cream into a medium saucepan over low heat. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean down the middle, scrape out the seeds and add them to saucepan. Bring cream to a brief simmer, do not boil or it will overflow. Remove from heat and temper the yolks by gradually whisking the hot vanilla cream into yolk and sugar mixture. Do not add hot cream too quickly or the eggs will cook.

Divide custard into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins, about 3/4 full. Place ramekins in a roasting pan and fill pan with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until barely set around the edges, about 40 minutes. You may want to cover loosely with foil to prevent browning. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Transfer the ramekins to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each chilled custard. Hold a kitchen torch 2 inches above surface to brown the sugar and form a crust. Garnish with cookies and fresh fruit. Serve at once.

Variation: Before dividing into ramekins: add 3 ounces of shaved dark chocolate for chocolate creme brulee; add 4 slices of crystallized ginger for ginger creme brulee; add 3 slices of orange peel for orange creme brulee. Let steep 20 minutes to infuse the flavor. Strain out the ginger and orange peel before baking.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Posted by rimblas at 3:23 PM | Comments (0)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Another wonderful recepie from the Food Network show Good Eats.
The ultimate in comfort food...

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 large egg
  • 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepperb
Topping:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Posted by rimblas at 3:18 PM | Comments (0)

Chocolate Mousse

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Another wonderful recepie from the Food Network show Good Eats.
Rich chocolate taste, lucious and sliky texture...

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
  • 12 ounces quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3 ounces espresso or strong coffee
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon flavorless, granulated gelatin

Chill 1 1/2 cups whipping cream in refrigerator. Chill metal mixing bowl and mixer beaters in freezer.

In top of a double boiler, combine chocolate chips, coffee, rum and butter. Melt over barely simmering water, stirring constantly. Remove from heat while a couple of chunks are still visible. Cool, stirring occasionally to just above body temperature.

Pour remaining 1/4 cup whipping cream into a metal measuring cup and sprinkle in the gelatin. Allow gelatin to "bloom" for 10 minutes. Then carefully heat by swirling the measuring cup over a low gas flame or candle. Do not boil or gelatin will be damaged. Stir mixture into the cooled chocolate and set aside.

In the chilled mixing bowl, beat cream to medium peaks. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream in two doses. There may be streaks of whipped cream in the chocolate and that is fine. Do not over work the mousse.

Spoon into bowls or martini glasses and chill for at least 1 hour. Garnish with fruit and serve.

(If mousses are to be refrigerated overnight, chill for one
hour and then cover each with plastic wrap)

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hours 30 minutes

Posted by rimblas at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

Chocolate Lava Muffins

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Another wonderful recepie from the Food Network show Good Eats.
Soft, delicious, warm and gooey in the center...

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • Butter to coat muffin tin
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 cup vanilla ice cream
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place a small metal bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl. Stir in vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Sift these into the chocolate and mix well with electric hand mixer. Add eggs one at time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Beat at high until batter is creamy and lightens in color, approximately 4 minutes. Chill mixture.

Coat the top and each cup of the muffin tin with butter. Dust with the cocoa powder and shake out excess. Spoon mixture into pan using a 4-ounce scoop or ladle. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Outsides should be cake-like and centers should be gooey.

While muffins are in oven, melt the ice cream in a small saucepan. Stir in the espresso powder. Serve over warm muffins.

Yield: 1 dozen

Posted by rimblas at 9:53 AM | Comments (0)