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I was inspired by a blog post on Smitten Kitchen on how to make homemade ricotta cheese. I always like to experiment with new things and have never made cheese so decided I just had to try it. We had some friends over to celebrate the 4th and figured this was as good a time as any. As has been tradition for several years, I made a Grilled Turkey for the main course, so ricotta bruschetta for an appetizer seemed like a good idea. As with any … [Read more...]
Cooks Illustrated is one of my favorite cooking magazines. It does not have a lot of recipes in each issue but what is included is well tested and generally very good. This month’s issue has a grilled stuffed flank steak that just looked fun so I had to try it. Here is the recipe. Depending on the steak’s size, you may have between 8 and 12 pinwheels of stuffed meat at the end of step 2. Freezing the steak for 30 minutes will make … [Read more...]
Ingredients 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil 2 large garlic cloves, chopped 2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2-inch-long pieces 4 teaspoons sesame seeds Preparation Stir soy sauce and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Heat oil in heavy large skillet. Add garlic and stir 15 seconds. Add asparagus and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add soy mixture and … [Read more...]
Ingredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 4 ounces) 3/4 cup mayonnaise 3/4 cup sour cream 4 ounces blue cheese, room temperature Preparation Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots. Cover and cook until shallots are deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool. Whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream in medium bowl to blend. Add blue cheese. Using … [Read more...]
Ingredients Gorgonzola cheese flavors this hearty main course. Serve with a chilled Beaujolais. 2 1 1/2-pound top sirloin steaks (or one 2- to 3-pound steak), 1 inch thick 6 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 large onion, sliced 1 large red bell pepper, sliced 1 large green bell pepper, sliced 1 cup unsalted beef broth or low-salt chicken broth Crumbled Gorgonzola or other … [Read more...]
Ingredients 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 1/2 pounds fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined without tails 1/2 cup olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 shallot, chopped 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed 2 tablespoons white wine 2 tablespoons brandy Preparation In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne … [Read more...]
Ingredients This can be prepared with 20 ounces of large raw shrimp instead of lobster, if you like. Peel and devein the shrimp, then sauté uncovered in butter until opaque in center, about three minutes. Cut each shrimp lengthwise in half. 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter 2 10- to 12-ounce frozen lobster tails, thawed 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thinly sliced 1/2 cup (packed) thinly sliced fresh basil 6 green onions, thinly … [Read more...]
Ingredients 20 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined 1 tablespoon (about) chopped fresh rosemary Balsamic vinegar 10 bacon slices, cut in half crosswise Crumbled Stilton cheese, or other blue cheese Preparation Arrange shrimp on baking sheet. Sprinkle with rosemary, ground black pepper, and several splashes of vinegar. Wrap each in bacon, covering completely; secure with toothpick. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill on … [Read more...]
