Chocolate Cream Pie

My apologies- the camera is broken so no pics!
The taster loved licking the bowl of chocolate clean, even getting it
all in his hair.

This is one of those desserts where you will lick your plate clean!
We made it for a pot-luck event.

Oreo Cookie Crumb Crust
9" pie plate

Pulse 16 Oreo cookies, broken in pieces, in a food processor 15 times.
Melt 2 TB unsalted butter and pour into the machine as it runs for another 15 seconds.

Pour mix into a pie dish and use the bottom of a measuring glass to press the mixture down.

Bake on middle rack at 350º for 15 minutes.
Let cool for a half hour, while you make the filling.

Chocolate Cream Pie
Serves 8-10
Allow 40 minutes prep plus 3 hours chilling time

Filling
2 1/2 cups half & half
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
2 TB cornstarch
6 TB (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bring half & half, half of the sugar and the salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

As the half & half begins to simmer, in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, the remaining sugar, and cornstarch together until smooth.

Slowly whisk 1 cup of the hot liquid into the eggs to temper them. Then slowly add this mix back into the saucepan, heat reduced to medium. Continue to whisk constantly until thickened and a few bubbles break at the surface, about 30 seconds.
Off the heat, whisk in the butter, then the chocolates, and finally the vanilla until completely smooth.

Pour the warm filling into the pie crust. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top so it is on the surface of the pudding (to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate until filling is cold and firm, about 3 hours.

For the topping:
Whip together 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, 2 TB sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, until soft peaks form (or the whisk begins to "hold" the whipped cream).
Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie.

Serve and enjoy!

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

This salad is a treat during the summer. Perfect for cookouts or even taking to the beach!
In the photo below, I did not add the feta, parsley and romaine since I will be serving this tomorrow. I'll add them right before serving.
If you're going to the beach, I'd skip the romaine and add all the ingredients. A nice way to serve it would be in small pita pockets.
Alex got the feta from the salad bar for only 45¢! To save space, I just topped the salad with wrap and put the feta container on top. The romaine and parsley will be fresh from the garden when I pick it in the morning.
Note that I used a new serving container. After the salt treatment, a lot of juice and dressing accumulates in the bottom of bowl. Scoop it into a new container, leaving the excess juice behind. Ingredients

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered ( about 1 1/2 cups)
• table salt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I prefer Spectrum organic)
• 1 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 teaspoon) or 1 medium garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 (14 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 small minced red onions ( about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
• 1 romaine lettuce, heart cut into 1/2-inch pieces ( about 3 cups)
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled ( about 1 cup)
• ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt in colander set over bowl and let stand 15 minutes.
2. Whisk oil, vinegar, and garlic together in large bowl. Add drained cucumber and tomatoes, chickpeas, olives, onion, and parsley; toss and let stand at room temperature to blend flavors, 5 minutes.
3. Add romaine and feta; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Baked Country Eggs With Mushrooms

What to do with all those hard-cooked Easter eggs?
This recipe is a fine solution!
Perfect when served with Jones mild pork sausage links and buttered toast wedges.

It is one my mom found in a B & B cookbook many years ago, from Antietam Overlook Farm in Maryland.

You can make it ahead the night before and bake at 350º for 45 minutes.

I modified the recipe for 2.5 people by roughly dividing it in thirds. I also use celery instead of green pepper. Shiitake mushrooms really boost the mushroom flavor, too! Powdered chicken stock? Don't know of a good one that is free of MSG. I used Penzey's chicken soup base paste instead.

I wonder if Andrew will notice his Spider-Man egg is missing? He has thus far not shown much enthusiasm for hard boiled eggs, other than taking a really long time to peel them.

Fresh picked from the garden!

If you are not a fan of curry spice, the celery adds a nice curry-esque flavor.

3 eggs, quartered (added a fourth after this photo).

Didn't have any "good bread" on hand to make fresh breadcrumbs. Thought about using Panko but opted instead to just toast a hot dog bun and crumble off the outside of it! Nothing like a buttered hot dog bun.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups halved fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk, heated
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon low-sodium chicken stock powder
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled
1/2 cup buttered dark breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the mushrooms, onion, and green pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minuets.

In another medium saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture bubbles up. Add the heated milk all at once, whisking smooth, and cook until mixture bubbles in the center. Add the parsley, chicken stock powder, curry powder, salt, and pepper, and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Butter a shallow gratin dish (7 x 10 x 3 inches) or a flat 10 inch round casserole. Quarter the eggs and arrange in the dish, yolk side up. Stir the mushroom mixture into the white sauce and pour over the eggs. Sprinkle the crumbs over the top and bake for 40 minutes or until is golden brown and bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Make 6 servings.

Scalloped Potatoes

This was made special to accompany ham for Easter dinner. The garlic and thyme are fresh from the garden. I also used some delicious home-made chicken stock stashed away in the freezer.
This is a fabulous (and not low fat!) recipe. To save some time I did all the chopping the night before. While it began to cook, I was able to peel and use a mandoline to quickly thin slice the potatoes.





Scalloped Potatoes

Serves 4-6

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, minced

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 1/2 lbs (about 5 med) russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

2 bay leaves

4 oz cheddar cheese (or other fine cheeses you happen to have on hand), shredded

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, broth, cream, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of a potato slice with some resistance), about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

3. Transfer the mixture to a 1 1/2 quart gratin dish (check dish volume by seeing how/if it holds 6 cups water).

Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Sauteed Daylily Greens

We ate these so fast I didn't take a picture of the finished product!
Fresh and tender, newly sprouted daylilies are so commonly found yet far too often overlooked. They are delicious~~
Every spring they are a delicacy I crave.
Daylilies are often found near old New England homes, with no care, even 150 years later.
My first experience foraging for them was along "ancient" daylily grounds and most no longer bloomed. This, of course, can be corrected if they are thinned out and propagated.
They are low maintenance, easy to grow and with few pests. There are many variations of flowers, and as the name suggests, the flowers are frequent yet last only last 1 day.

While foraging for them, consider that you are thinning out what is often a crowded area.
Use scissors to snip the stems close to the earth. They require a thorough washing in between all those leaves.

Heat up some butter in a large sautee pan, toss in a large clove of sliced garlic to add flavor.
Fine grate some lemon zest and squeeze some lemon juice on the greens, sautee until tops are withered, 3-5 minutes. Enjoy immediately then go outside and cut & cook up some more! (That's what I want to do right now.)
Yum!

Buttermilk Pancakes

Andrew requested these tonight, based on seeing the pancakes pictured on the buttermilk carton (purchased for another recipe)... I obliged and now have a batch ready for breakfast tomorrow!
It's a Martha Stewart recipe. You can fry them in a pan greased with butter. Better is a pan greased with bacon fat! Yeah!
I used the stand mixer w/whisk to combine dry ingredients (do this by hand). I began to stir the wet with the mixer but then stopped it shortly to finish mixing by hand. I used chopping and smashing motions to try and break apart any large clumps of flour.


The key to fluffy pancakes is not to overmix the batter; it should not be beaten smooth.

Makes nine 6-inch pancakes.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.
Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine.
Batter should have small to medium lumps.
Heat griddle to 375 degrees or pan over medium heat.
Heat oven to 150-175 degrees (for keeping finished pancakes warm until serving).
Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough.
Spread 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess. Using a 1/2 cup measure, pour in pancake batter.
When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm with softened spreadable butter and real maple syrup, now known for it's antioxidant properties.

Apple Cranberry Tart

This a favorite recipe my mom made & I got a copy of it to make (more than once) myself! It is also, according to their website, a Stonewall Kitchen favorite. Apple Cranberry Chutney can be purchased locally at Russo's.

I use store bought pie crust dough but you can make your own.

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, frozen, cut into 8 pieces each
• 8-10 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

• 3 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (mom omits; I used "baking raisins" instead)
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Apple Cranberry Chutney
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of cloves and nutmeg

Glaze:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon cream or milk

directions

Crust:

1. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Add butter pieces and pulse until butter is in 1/4" pieces.
2. Add 7 tablespoons of ice water and blend until moist clumps are formed, adding more water by the tablespoon until dough just starts to form into a ball.
3. Remove from processor and carefully gather into a ball on a clean and lightly floured surface.
4. Divide ball of dough into 2 portions. Flatten into discs. Wrap one in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
5. Roll out remaining disc on a lightly floured surface and place into a 10" quiche pan. Refrigerate.

Filling:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Combine chopped apples and all remaining filling ingredients until well mixed.
3. Spoon into prepared shell, spreading evenly.
   
4. Roll out second crust disc.
5. Cut into 1"-wide strips for lattice topping.
6. Using a long, narrow spatula, carefully lift strips onto pie, using 5-6 strips.
7. Rotate pie 45°. Carefully place 5-6 more strips on top.

Glaze:
1. Combine egg yolk and cream/milk in a small dish. Stir with fork until well blended.
2. Brush entire crust, top and edges, with egg wash.
3. Bake pie in lower 1/3 of over for about 1 hour until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.
   

Oops! I had already placed the lattice topping when I realized I forgot to add the jar of chutney! That's why it has an overflowing stuffed look.