Pie for Dinner

Sorry Ian, this is hardly a BBQ recipe. I have to say I'm pretty excited that it's getting to that time of year though! But I made this tasty pie a couple weeks ago and have been meaning to post it. Anyhow, my mother gave me her old copy of the Moosewood Cookbook a few months ago. I love this cookbook, I've read it cover to cover, yet I rarely cook out of it. I've decided to change that starting with the Spinach Ricotta Pie.


The Moosewood's Spinach Ricotta Pie

Yield: One 9" pie

Cut together 1 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of cold unsalted butter and ¼ t. salt. Then add about 3 Tbs. cold buttermilk and mix together lightly. Gather together into a disk, wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Roll out into a thin disc to fill a 9" pie pan and set aside.

The Filling:

1 lb. ricotta cheese
3 eggs, beaten
½ lb. chopped spinach – sautéed in butter with black pepper, ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. butter.
1 small onion, diced
3 tbs. flour
½ c. grated sharp cheese
dash nutmeg

1 c. sour cream
paprika

Mix everything together, blending well. Spread into unbaked pie shell. Top with sour cream, spreading to the edges. Sprinkle generously with paprika.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

BBQ season

hey, Col and I got a BBQ, so that leads me to two things:
1) Can you all post any nummy bbq type recipies you have up your sleeves (marinades, shishkibab combos, weird craziness that I can't even think of...)
2) You all need to come over to enjoy the next sunny day and try out said recipies.

Amaretto Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

This cheesecake was a special request. But after searching and searching I couldn't find a recipe I liked, so I adapted a Dorie Greenspan recipe. It was a fantastic success. Keith has raved about steaming cheesecakes before like Dorie does in this recipe, but this was the first time I'd done it. I'll never go back to baking cheesecake again.


For the Crust:

1 ½ c. graham crackers crumbs
3 T. sugar
a pinch of salt
½ c. ground almonds
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the bottom of a 9" spring form with two layers of heavy aluminum foil. Mix the dry ingredients in a shallow bowl and then pour melted butter over. Mix thoroughly until damp and then press into the spring form pan going half way up the sides. Bake the crust for ten minutes until lightly browned. Cool, then wrap and freeze while preparing the rest of the cheesecake.

For the Cheesecake:

2 lbs. cream cheese (4 8-oz. packets), room temp.
1 1/3 c. sugar
½ t. salt
1 ½ t. pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temp.
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. minus 2 T. heavy cream
2 T. amaretto
½ t. pure almond extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put a kettle on the stove to boil.

With a stand mixer use a paddle mixer, and beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and then continue to beat for another 4 minutes, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract. Add the eggs one by one, beating a full minute in between each one. Reduce speed and mix in the sour cream, amaretto, and heavy cream. Pour the mixture into the crust and then place in a large roasting pan. Fill half way up the side of the spring form pan with boiling water and place in the oven. Bake the cheesecake for 1½ hours. Turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Let the cheesecake sit for another hour. Then carefully remove the whole contraption, take out the pan, and remove the foil. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then cover with saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator. Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Raspberry Coulis:

2 c. frozen raspberries
1-2 t. lemon juice
sugar to taste
2 t. cornstarch

Cook down the raspberries; then strain the berries through a fine sieve. Return strained berries to pan and add lemon juice and sugar to taste. Put cornstarch in a separate bowl and add just enough water to make a thin paste. Slowly stir into the raspberries until slightly thickened. Chill until serving time.

Bird's Nest Cupcakes for Spring

I've been on a cupcake kick lately. So on a lazy Saturday this month, I spent most of the afternoon frosting cupcakes. These are lemon flavored, but really any white cake and frosting would work. The fun part here is really the decoration.



Lemon Cupcakes:

2 ¼ c. cake flour
1 T. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 ¼ c. whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 ½ c. sugar
2 t. grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temp.
½ t. pure lemon extract

Preheat the oven to 350 and line 22 muffin cups with cupcake papers.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Whisk together the milk and the eggs whites in a medium bowl.

Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes. Beat in extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, then add half of the eggs whites and milk, alternating until all added. Then give the batter a good 2 minutes of beating, and divide among the cupcake papers. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.


Lemon Meringue Frosting:

½ c. sugar
2 large egg whites
1 ½ sticks butter (6 tablespoons), at room temp.
2 T. fresh lemon juice
½ t. pure vanilla extract

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
44 jordan almonds

Put the sugar and the egg whites in a double boiler, and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. It should look like glossy marshmallow cream.

Transfer to a mixer, and beat on high speed with a whisk attachment until cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to a paddle attachment and then add butter in pieces until fully incorporated. Then bean 6 to 10 minutes until very smooth. On medium speed beat in lemon juice and the vanilla extract. Place a piece of saran wrap over the frosting until ready to use.

Toast the coconut on a baking sheet in a 300 degree oven until lightly brown, about 8 minutes. Use a folk to stir the coconut every few minutes to get an even toasting. Let cool completely before using.


To Decorate:

Spread a generous amount of frosting on the cupcakes, mounding it higher around the edge. Press toasted coconut into the soft frosting, completely coating it. Place a couple Jordan almonds into the depression in the center.

and...

Pecan Praline Cupcakes
In February I made these cupcakes for my sister-in-law's birthday. I used a white cake recipe, topped them with a melted brown sugar icing, and candied pecans.