| "Open
your mouth and close your eyes...." must have been written for
those of us who live to eat great food with people we love. Try one of
these delicious, made-to-inspire-and-stimulate recipes and
share the experience with us. |
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Our
Cool-Down Favorites |
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Savory Apricot Chicken Kebabs
(serves 8) |
4
chicken breast halves, boned and skinned
16 fresh small/medium firm apricots, cut into halves (32 halves)
1 large red or green bell pepper
1/2 medium red onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
Marinade:
1 cup white wine (use a fruity wine such as Riesling)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Combine marinade ingredients;
divide in half and place in 2 medium bowls (or 2 large plastic zip top
bags).
Cut each chicken breast, lengthwise, into 4 strips to make a total of
16 strips.
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Place the chicken into a medium bowl or
zip-loc bag with approximately 3/4 of the marinade. Place the apricots
into a medium bowl or zip loc bag with approx 1/4 of the marinade.
(enough marinade to coat the apricots, but not make them soft and
soggy). Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning occasionally.
Drain chicken and apricots; discard marinade.
Sprinkle salt on chicken.
Cut bell pepper and onion into 1-inch squares.
Thread each skewer in the following order: 1 pepper, 1 onion, 1
chicken strip, loosely wrapped "s" fashion around 2 apricot halves;
repeat; finish with 1 pepper and 1 onion.
Grill or broil, 5 inches from heat, for 8 minutes or until chicken is
cooked through, turning every 2 to 3 minutes.
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Plum Cool-Down
(serves 8) |
6 fresh plums, chopped,
2 cups 1 6-ounce can frozen cranberry concentrate
1 cup water
Combine all ingredients in
blender or food processor.
Whirl until combined.
Alternative: If you can't get frozen cranberry concentrate, you can
substitute cranberry or cran-apple drinks. Replace the water with ice,
and whirl all until combined.
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Strawberry Kir Royle |
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2 cups halved
strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup chilled champagne or sparkling wine
1 tablespoon crème de cassis
2 Servings
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Mix
strawberries and sugar in medium bowl. Let stand 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Divide between 2 large wine-glasses. Pour 1/4 cup
champagne and 1/2 tablespoon cassis into each glass.
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Passion Fruit
Champagne Cocktails |
1 cup chilled passion fruit
blend nectar
1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters
1 cup chilled champagne or other sparkling white wine
4 fresh raspberries or small strawberries
1 orange slice, cut in half
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Divide nectar and bitters between 2
chilled champagne flutes. Add champagne. Drop 2 berries into each
drink. Garnish with orange. |
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| Splendid
Raspberry Spinach Salad |
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2
Tablespoons Raspberry Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Raspberry Jam
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
8 Cups Spinach, rinsed, stemmed and torn into pieces.
3/4 Cup coarsely chopped Macadamia nuts or toasted almond slices
1 Cup Fresh Raspberries
3 Kiwis, peeled and sliced
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Dressing: Combine vinegar and jam in blender or small bowl. Add oil in
thin stream, blending well.
Toss
spinach with 1/2 of the nuts, 1/2 of the raspberries, 1/2 of the
kiwi's and the dressing. Top with the remaining ingredients (nuts,
raspberries and kiwis.) Serve immediately
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Seafood and Artichoke Casserole |
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1
14-oz can artichokes, drained
1 pound fresh medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
1 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over for shell bits
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
6-1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
4-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
salt and white pepper, to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
paprika, to taste
chopped parsley
Serves 6-8 |
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Arrange artichokes in a buttered 3-quart
baking dish. Spread shrimp and crabmeat over them. Sauté mushrooms in
2 Tbl butter for about 5 mins.. Arrange evenly over seafood. In a
large heavy saucepan, melt 4 1/2 Tbl butter and blend in flour. Cook
and stir 5 mins. Slowly add cream, cooking and stirring constantly,
until thickened and smooth. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, sherry,
salt, and white pepper. Pour over ingredients in casserole. Sprinkle
with cheese and paprika. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 20
minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with or without rice.
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Chocolate
Espresso Crème Brulee |
2 cups heavy
cream
1 T instant espresso powder
5 oz bittersweet chocolate
6 egg yolks
3T granulated white sugar
1t pure vanilla extract
1/4 c granulated white sugar (for the caramelized top)
espresso coffee bean candies, for garnish
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine
cream and espresso power in a heavy, medium saucepan. Bring to a
simmer, whisking to dissolve espresso powder. Remove from heat. Break
up chocolate and add to hot cream mixture, whisking until smooth. Set
aside. Whisk yolks, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well
blended. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture. Strain into a clean
bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.
Divide mixture among 6 ramekins or
custard cups. Place in a water bath and bake until set around the
edges, but still loose in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove
from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from
water bath. |
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These custards can be served warm or chilled. To chill,
refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. When ready to serve,
sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard. For best
results, use a small hand-held torch to melt sugar. If you don't have
a torch, place under broiler until sugar melts. To serve warm,
dry off bottoms of ramekins as soon as you remove them from the hot
water bath and present them plain. If desired, top warm crème brulee
with a generous dollop of freshly-whipped cream or serve with vanilla
ice cream.
Garnish with a sprinkling of coffee-bean candies. Serves 6.
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Recipes