How to make no pastry Tartlets

Quick and easy 'no pastry' tartlets-and two favorite fillings

How to make Flavored Butters

A really easy way to add some extra flavor to all sorts of things.   From pancakes to toast, fish, chicken, steak and on and on.

Simple to make, the combinations are limited only by your imagination!  Here are a few of my favorites:

Note:  Each recipe uses 4 ounces of unsalted butter.

1.  Finely grated zest of 1 orange

     1 tablespoon of honey

     2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts

     2 tablespoons finely chopped raisins

2.  1 head roasted garlic, mashed

     Optional:  2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

3.  2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

     Grated zest of 1 lemon

     (This is delicious on corn on the cob)

4.  2 tablespoon finely chopped dried cranberries

     1 tablespoon maple syrup

     (Great on pancakes, dinner rolls when you are serving chicken or turkey)

5.  1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons jam of your choice

6.  1 or 2 tablespoons wasabi - depending on your heat tolerance!

Watch the video:

How To Make Pizza: Pizza Maker from Breville (Product Review)

My gadget-happy husband saw the Breville Pizza oven in a Williams-Sonoma catalog (photo) and decided it was just what we needed.  I have tried all kinds of pizza stones, bricks, cast iron etc. in the oven and on the grill, but was never totally happy with the results.  I wasn't so sure this would work either.  Was I wrong!  This oven has enabled me to make delicious, crisp-crusted pizza every time.  At $149 from Williams-Sonoma I think it paid for itself in less than 3 months!

Not only is it very inexpensive to make pizza at home, it's much healthier since you control the fat content of what goes into it.  You can also put anything you like on top - just make sure you don't overdo the toppings!

The idea of rolling the dough out on parchment and then sliding it onto the stone is nothing short of brilliant - it saves so much mess.

Breville has their own video for using the oven.  I have found that it is not necessary to prick the edges of the dough as long as I roll it out quite thinly.  Also, there is a "viewing" window on top of the oven.  After a few uses you can't see through it but, by the time that happens, you will have the timing down just right so that it's not really necessary!

Here is the recipe for the dough I use:

4 cups flour

2¼ teaspoons yeast

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups hot water - about 110º

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, add water and stir until dough forms.  Turn dough out onto the counter and knead until smooth and elastic - you may need a little extra flour to dust the dough and your hands if the dough is sticky.  This takes about 10 minutes. If you prefer, you can do this in a mixer using the dough hook.  Place in a lightly oiled clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size.

Punch dough down lightly and divide evenly into four pieces.  Place each piece on a lightly floured square of parchment paper, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise again.

Roll the dough out on a large square of parchment paper, add the toppings of your choice and place in the preheated oven for 2 minutes.  Remove the parchment and continue cooking for 5 or 6 minutes or until pizza is cooked and lightly browned on top.

I used traditional tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmegiano cheese.  For a white pizza, I spread the dough with a paste of roasted garlic*, topped that with mozzarella, Parmegiano and ricotta cheeses.

A family favorite is pizza spread with fig jam and topped with sliced pear and gorgonzola cheese (photo right).

I am sure you can come up with some great variations on these.

*To roast garlic, cut off the top of a whole head of garlic, place on a square of foil large enough to enclose it entirely and drizzle with olive oil.  Place in a 350º oven and cook for about an hour.  Allow to cool and just squeeze out the garlic.  I mash it thoroughly with a little olive oil. It keeps for a week or so in the refrigerator and can be frozen.

Watch the video:

Barbecued Chicken (Chinese Style)

I got this Chinese Barbecued Chicken recipe from one of our daughters who got it from a newspaper years ago.  The original was good, but a little tweaking made it even better.  You can use any cut of chicken you like with this:  wings, thighs, drumsticks - with or without skin.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (you  can substitute white wine or dry sherry)
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons grated ginger

Mix all ingredients well and place in a plastic bag.  Add chicken and marinate for several hours or overnight.

Remove chicken, reserving marinade.  Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and place chicken on the rack (photo above right).  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 35 minutes or until chicken is done, turning once. Timing will depend on what cut of chicken you are using.  Chicken should be at 165 degrees when it is done.

While chicken is cooking, place reserved marinade in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes to reduce.  Use to baste chicken during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

NOTE:  it is essential to thoroughly boil the reserved marinade to avoid any contamination from the uncooked chicken.

Tastes great hot or at room temperature.

Here is the video demonstration:

Betty's Apple-Blackberry Crumble

With blackberries in season, what better to make than apple-blackberry crumbles!  Just substitute 1/2 lb. of blackberries for apples in my apple crumble recipe.

Here is the original apple crumble video demonstration:

'My Paris Kitchen' by David Lebovitz-Cookbook Recommendation

It's been a while since I have found a cookbook I could recommend.  With so much information on the Internet and so many one-topic books,  it's difficult to justify spending the money.  But...there is a book which I wholeheartedly recommend.  My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz. 

This is not just a cookbook, it's a visit to Paris.  It's sights, sounds, smells and everything else Paris.  Not just recipes, although they are all wonderful, the book will transport you to the City of Lights.  Whether you decide to cook any of the recipes - and I don't know which pick first - this is a book to enjoy from cover to cover. 

The recipes are accessible, unlike some other French books I have seen lately, and all are doable.

This is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend.

Quick Tip: How to Butter Cake Dishes...the Easy Way

Here is an easy method to butter cake dishes.

Eggs Benedict

Producing Eggs Benedict for a group for brunch can be a daunting prospect.  However, when you break down the steps and do some of them ahead, the dish becomes much more manageable.  I like to poach my eggs and clarify the butter the day before.  Yes, you can poach eggs ahead - you simply drop them into a bowl of iced water when they are cooked.  When you are ready to use them, drain the cold water and replace it with hot - not boiling - water and allow them to sit for a few minutes.

Breaking the raw eggs into a sieve and allowing the watery part of the white to drain away makes for a perfectly shaped poached egg without any of those stray, wispy bits of white that need to be trimmed.

Clarified butter is easily made in the microwave. I like this method because I can see when the milk solids have settled.  Apart from use in Hollandaise Sauce, clarified butter is great for frying.  It can take a higher heat because it is the milk solids which burn and cause black spots when you use whole butter to fry.  It is also promoted as being healthier.

Hollandaise Sauce is one of the great classic sauces.  It has a reputation for being finicky to make but all it really needs is your constant attention.  A heavy round-bottomed pan, called a saucier, is a great asset since there are no corners for the sauce to lurk in and overcook.  But if you are careful to get your whisk into the corners of your pan, you can make it in any pan.  Whisking the eggs with lemon juice - fresh please! - and water until they are thick enough to coat the back of a spoon is the important first step.  Once you have accomplished that, add the clarified butter and drop or two at a time to start with and then a little more quickly, whisking all the time and you have a perfect Hollandaise.

In addition to Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise is great with asparagus and broccoli.  

You can vary it by replacing the water with orange juice in the beginning step, and adding an addition tablespoon of orange juice and a teaspoon of finely grated orange zest at the end with the salt and pepper.  You now have Sauce Maltaise!

Warm your poached eggs, toast English Muffins, heat some Canadian Bacon and you are ready to serve Eggs Benedict.

WATCH THE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:

Love my New Breville Pizza Maker! Special Price from Williams-Sonoma

Looking for a last minute Christmas gift - Williams-Sonoma has a great price on the Breville Crispy Pizza oven.  It's my favorite new toy.  Watch for a video soon.

Betty's Chinese(y) Chicken Meatballs

The inspiration for this appetizer came when I was looking through a very old cookbook and found a recipe which called for finely chopped cooked chicken along with a few other ingredients. After combining, the recipe said to cook the meatballs for 20 minutes. Already cooked chicken cooked for another 20 minutes didn't sound very appetizing but I liked the idea. So after a few tries, I came up with these:


Chinese(y) Chicken Meatballs

1 lb. ground chicken
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce (optional)


Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine all ingredients except chicken in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Place chicken in a medium-sized bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well and shape into 1-inch balls. Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet with raised sides. 

Bake 15 to 20 minutes until slightly browned.
In a medium skillet, warm your favorite prepared sauce - orange/ginger, Thai chili sauce etc. Add meatballs and toss to coat.
The meatballs may be frozen before adding to sauce.

Makes about 3 dozen meatballs depending on size.


Hint: You may find it easier to shape the meatballs if you rinse your hands in cold water occasionally.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

I recently saw a picture of this salad in a restaurant review in the New York Times. No recipe was given, but they did give a list of the ingredients. It looked and sounded so delicious that I had to give it a try. Here is the result:

8 large cooked shrimp
½ an avocado, diced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
1 red tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
1 yellow tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper 


Dice 6 of the shrimp, reserving two for garnish.

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, reserving a few pieces of the tomatoes for garnish, and toss to combine. Place ring molds on two plates and fill each with half the mixture, packing down slightly. Remove the rings carefully and garnish the top with the whole shrimp. Scatter the reserved pieces of tomato around the salads.

Serves 2 as an appetizer or a light lunch.


WATCH THE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:

Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine - essentially a fancy sounding French name for what the Brits would call a bacon and egg pie! Still, the combination does produce an elegant dish that is at home for brunch, lunch or supper. Even better - you can make it ahead and even freeze it. Doesn't get much more versatile than that.

Ingredients:

1 prebaked pie shell, 9 to 10 inches
4 slices bacon cooked till quite crisp and crumbled
1 large onion, sliced about 1/4" inch thick and cooked until softened in bacon fat
4 ounces Swiss or Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
a few gratings of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine eggs and cream either in a food processor or mix well with a whisk.
Put onion, drained of fat, in bottom of pie crust, top with bacon pieces.
Add cheese and pour in egg/cream mixture.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes or until pie seems fairly firm when shaken.

Variations:

Cooked broccoli and cheddar cheese
Smoked salmon, Swiss cheese and asparagus.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Grilling Tip: Barbeque Rub

Barbecue season has finally arrived!  In preparation, I have made a double batch of my favorite rub.  It's great on pork and chicken and I'm thinking I'll use it next time I grill some salmon.  Just rub it on whatever you are planning to grill an hour or two ahead of time to let the flavors seep in.

3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Grill until almost done and baste with your favorite sauce.

Tip for Today: Potato Ricer

 

Tip for today:  If you own a potato ricer, it is the best tool for squeezing the liquid out of defrosted frozen spinach!  It gets it absolutely dry and saves lots of time.