Sherry – Page 62 – Rosemary and the Goat

The Golden Egg Muffin

No this isn’t the golden egg that Jack found when he went up the beanstalk. But, these are the most delicious cinnamon muffins you will ever eat.

A month or so ago we were in Austin visiting our kids. My daughter-in-law and their baby Milo and I went to Sandra Bullock’s new restaurant called, Walton’s Fancy and Staple. It’s a gourmet delicatessen/bakery and cafe offering everything from one-stop floral services, catering, and delicious cuisine2go.

Along with a few other of their baked goods, we tried their Golden Egg Muffins. I have made a French Cinnamon Muffin recipe since the early 70’s that I had gotten from a friend when we lived in Iowa. They had nutmeg in them like this recipe and I always thought they couldn’t be beat until I tried the Golden Egg from Walton’s. So, to my surprise when I came home and googled Golden Egg Muffin recipe I came across this website Confections of a (closet) Master Baker (Gesine Bullock-Prado). It’s Sandra’s sister and she has a video of her Golden Egg Muffin recipe. I tried it and decided it tops my French Cinnamon Muffin Recipe any day. I may change the name to French Golden Egg eventually but for now it is the best, lightest, muffin recipe I’ve ever made.

I made this recipe twice over Thanksgiving weekend. They are the best fresh out of the oven, dipped in warm butter and then cinnamon sugar. I just happen to have a Wilton’s Egg muffin pan that I had bought years ago for Easter egg cakes. If you don’t have this pan, either line muffin pans with muffin papers (then you only dip tops) or spray non-stick pans with cooking spray and then you can dunk tops and bottoms in the butter/sugar mixture.

November 29, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ ColdApp/ Dessert/ Desserts

Cannoli

When the moon hits the sky like a big pizza pie, it’s cannoliiiiii (guess that should be amore’) 🙂

My first real cannoli was in Italy three years ago. We had gone on this 18 day trip to Italy with two other couples. After going to Venice for three days, then Cinque Terra for 3 days, and Rome three days, we settled in Tuscany at iL Borro villa (owned by the Faragamo family) for 8 days. It was a wonderful trip.

I think it was while we were in Cinque Terra and we were taking the train either to Santa Margarita or Monterosso that we learned a lot about riding trains in Italy. Once we were fined for not having our tickets validated. Ouch, that hurt, but could have been worst I guess if the guys argued with the ticket guys on the train.

Then one time we messed up on the timing of the train and had to wait an hour for the next train. While we were waiting, one of the guys hiked up to a little restaurant that he and his wife had been to before and came back with two huge cannolis that we divided up and devoured in seconds while waiting for our train. This was really late at night, maybe 11:30 or so and was getting kind of scary. We got better at reading the train schedules after that incident.

I have made savory cannolis before using a smoked salmon spread for the filling. Recently I made cannolis for a shower using a recipe that an Italian lady gave me 25 years ago. For this challenge I made some sweet ones using cocoa in the dough. I don’t think I care for that recipe as much as my original recipe.

Here are a few pictures of some of the ones I have made recently.

These are great. I dipped one end in chopped pistachio nuts and the other in shaved semi sweet chocolate.

November 27, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ HotApp

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Ham and Orange Marmalade

Everyone makes biscuits, but have you tried sweet potato biscuits with ham and Marmalade.

Most people starting thinking seriosly about sweet potatoes/yams this time of the year. How many ways have you prepared sweet potatoes — sweet potato pie, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows or nut topping, or rosemary baked sweet potato wedges (yum, these are the greatest). I just came across this recipe today for Sweet Potato Sticks wrapped in bacon and sage. I will be trying these soon. They look wonderful. What doesn’t taste good with bacon wrapped around it.

Have you ever thought of making sweet potato biscuits and using some of that holiday ham for an appetizer. Spread the biscuit with a little orange marmalade, top with small slice of ham and warm in oven and you have a fantastic party appetizer.

November 22, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ ColdApp

Feta and Sundried Tomato Torte

Sun-dried Tomato Torte with baguette slices mixes lots of flavorful ingredients to make a great party spread.

I’ve been catering for 20 years and still my favorite things to make are appetizers.

We just returned from a trip to New York and we had some wonderful meals at DBGB, Gramery Tavern, and Babbo. I learned a new word this trip — amuse bouche. This is a tiny appetizer that the chef sends out to tickle your taste buds. I’m going to be trying one that we had at Gramercy Tavern real soon — as soon as they send me the recipe :). The night at Gramercy Tavern we had a potato amuse bouche that was served as soon as we sat down and then by the time we finished our meal, we had three dessert amuse bouche and then our main desserts we ordered, then they bought us a little crumb cake each to take home for breakfast. A fantastic meal we shared with friends also celebrating their anniversary. Our 40th, their 25th.

This isn’t a tiny appetizer but I think your taste buds will enjoy it.

September 29, 2009 By Sherry

Cake/ Dessert

Almond Cornmeal Cake w/Sour Cherry Sauce and Goat Cheese Topping

Sour Cherries and Goat Cheese!

Now that sounds like an unusual combination. This morning I was straightening and organizing my pantry and ran across a can of sour cherries that I bought after returning from a trip to Chicago to visit our son and daughter-in-law.

While visiting them this summer, we had dinner one night at Mado. A wonderful little restaurant that uses local farmers for their meats and produce. We enjoyed a fantastic meal and for dessert we ordered the Megas Bark (which I have made) and also their Almond and Cornmeal Cake with sour cherry jam, goat cheese and mascarpone cheese topped with candied almonds.

I love visiting Chicago. There are so many great little restaurants tucked here and there around the city and I am making it my mission to try each and every one of them. I love keeping track of restaurants we enjoy while traveling. After our trip to Italy a few years ago, I did a poster from Snapfish with all our food pictures of meals we enjoyed there. Yes, we are that couple you probably see taking pictures of their plates of food :).

September 9, 2009 By Sherry

Entree/ Fish/Seafood

Shrimp, Corn and Shiitake Mushroom Tamales

Hot tamales, hot tamales, get them while they’re hot!

I have so many memories from growing up in a small town in Missouri. My hometown was about 7,000 people and not a Mexican restaurant in sight (not for at least 30 years). We used to go to town shopping and I remember a little man that stood on the corner with his tamale cart. We would tell him how many tamales we wanted and he would wrap them in newspaper and we would take them home to eat. They were the best — that is until my mother decided she was going to learn to make them.

My mother and a friend came up with a recipe and they would get together once a year and make hundreds of tamales. They would work all day, making the meat and mush, rolling the tamales, and tying them in bundles. At the end of the day, they would divide up their day’s work and put them in the freezer for us to enjoy during the year.

I lost both my parents within 6 months of each other in ’08. Over the last several months a lot of “food” memories have been popping up in my head — like the tamales, my dad going frog gigging in a boat that he made by welding two car hoods together — those huge platters of fried frog legs, what I wouldn’t give for a platter of them and seeing all of us around the table afterwards playing Indian poker. There are so many stories that I feel are responsible for my love of food and I am sure I will be sharing those from time to time.

September 2, 2009 By Sherry

ColdApp/ Garnish

Citrus flower garnish

Don’t Play with your food…

I’m sure all of us have memories of our mothers saying “don’t play with your food”. I know my twin sister and I did when we were small — we got into everything. I told my own children not to play with their food. Seems like if they didn’t like something, they would move it all over the plate to make it look like they had eaten it. They were picky eaters, but have all grown into wonderful cooks, ready to try anything unusual.

So, playing with food. When I was in a Hospitality Management program yearssssssssss ago I had a semester of Garde Manger. In this class we did plate painting, ice sculptures (my first and last, boy was that cold), we did sushi, all kinds of organ meats, cheeses, everything including my favorite, garnishes. I would go home and PLAY with anything I had in the refrigerator. I love making these citrus flowers. I have used lemons, limes, oranges, lemon and limes together. I use these as garnishes on seafood trays or dessert trays. Sure hope you will try these. I can make one in less than 10 minutes tops.

First you are going to take your lemon (lime, or orange). Using a very sharp knife and being very careful, cut the ends off, cut it in half (lengthwise) and proceed to cut in very thin slices. You want the slices thin because you are going to roll the slices up.

Keep the slices as thin as possible. You will be glad later.

Have your toothpicks ready, you will need quite a few.

Pick out one of the thinner slices and roll it up. Then take another slices and overlap it. Keep doing this. You may find it hard to hold on to but after a few slices and wrapping…

Turn it upside down and proceed to overlap slices, building your flower from the bottom up. When you have used all your slices or have the flower as big as you want…

Start inserting toothpicks in the flower. You can clip the ends but I usually cover up with herbs.

Turn over, and there you have it — a beautiful citrus flower. This one is garnished with basil, parsley, a sprig of rosemary and some salad burnett. Mint is really pretty also as a garnish. Hope you will try these. I have never tried a grapefruit but will one day. I will have to show you how to do a turnip rose. They are beautiful too. — Sherry

June 8, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ HotApp

Prosciutto and Gruyere Palmiers

Puffed Pastry, Gruyere, Prosciutto and Sage. What a wonderful combination and just great with a glass of wine.

Here they are with a glass of wine. Can’t wait to sit down, put my feet up have a couple of these with a nice glass of wine and have relax.

I am updating this post since I am made a fresh bach of these heavenly little baked appetizers for an Italian themed shower I’m helping give this weekend. You may want to make extras of these if you are doing them for a party. I like to keep these in my freezer so if my husband is wanting something with his glass of wine, these can be popped in the oven for a special treat. And when I have fresh sage in my garden, I use it, if not I used dry rubbed sage.

June 6, 2009 By Sherry

Cookies/Bars/ Dessert

White Chocolate Raspberry Bars

What could be better than white chocolate and raspberry?

These little bars are so wonderful. My daughter gave me this recipe a few years ago. They freeze beautifully. Just remember to cut them in very small pieces because they are so rich.

When I catered, I used this recipe often for parties because the bars could be cut in 1″ squares and be just the right size for a bite of sweet at the end of a cocktail party.

BLAST TO THE FUTURE: As this blog developed I started doing blast to the past recipe of some of my favorites. I recently had to start using a different recipe card for the blog and started putting some of the older recipes into a better format. So this is a blast to a future Frozen Fruit with Hot White Chocolate Sauce that is so good you won’t believe you haven’t tried it before.

White Chocolate Raspberry Bars

2016-09-23 00:43:55

Delicious and rich flavors of white chocolate and raspberry.

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Ingredients

1 cup butter
4 cups vanilla chips
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup Raspberry Preserves
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove and add 2 cups of the vanilla chips. Let stand. Do not stir.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at high speed, until lemon colored. Stir in vanilla chip mixture. Add flour, salt and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until just combined.
Spread 1/2 of batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Stir in remaining 2 cups of chips into remaining batter and set aside.
Melt raspberry jam in a saucepan and spread evenly over cooked batter. Gently spoon remaining batter over fruit. sprinkle with pecans. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely and cut into 1 x 1 squares.

Rosemary and the Goat http://rosemaryandthegoat.com/

June 6, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ ColdApp/ Sandwiches

Cucumber Sandwiches

You’ll be cool as a cucumber when you try these cucumber sandwiches. The little center you see here are tiny dried rosebuds. I can’t find these anymore so I mix some softened cream cheese and mayonnaise and tint it yellow and pipe center into the flowers.

When I was pregnant the first time, we lived in Louisville, Kentucky. I craved this spread they called Benedictine Spread. It was a cucumber spread and you could buy it in cartons already prepared at the grocery. I would eat that for breakfast and lunch some days. Finally I found a recipe and started making it myself.

I have all the ingredients ready to make the sandwiches, the cucumber spread, the cut-out bread and the sliced cucumbers.

Spread a little cucumber spread on the bottom piece of bread, top with cucumber slice and then the other piece of bread. You can finish off with a little yellow mayo in the center.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Ingredients

2 large cucumbers
8 oz. cream cheese softened
Tabasco to taste
garlic salt and seasoned pepper to taste
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. finely grated onion
white or wheat bread

Instructions

Take one cucumber, peel, cut in half and scrape out seeds. Grate the cucumber and the onion into a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze out moisture.
Put the cream cheese, mayo and seasoning into a mixing bowl with the grated cucumber and onion. Mix until well blended. I add a drop or two of green food coloring. Take the other cucumber, cut off each end and then drag a fork down the sides all the way around. I usually use my mandoline and cut these very thin. Now for the ones in the picture, I use a flower cutter for the bottom and a daisy cutter for the top.
Cut out bread shapes (you can always just do them in rounds). Spread a little of he cucumber spread on one bread slice, top with a cucumber slice and then another bread slice. I sometimes make these one day ahead. If you are going to pipe in a center to the flower, wait and do that right before you serve them.

June 6, 2009 By Sherry

ColdApp/ Garnish

Cabbage Flower

Red cabbage flower

This picture isn’t so much about the recipe but about the cabbage flower I used to decorate a tray. I love making these for events I cater. Simple to make and really make an impact on a tray. Take a small red cabbage and using a very sharp knife, make 8 cuts going almost to the bottom but DO NOT cut all the way through the core. Take the head of cabbage and fill a 5 gallon bucket with water. Soak the cabbage in it overnight or until the cabbage has opened up like a flower. These look beautiful on vegetable display. I have cut out the center and inserted small bowl of dip in the middle. The appetizer that is on the tray is biscuit medallions with cilantro mayonnaise spread on top, topped with a grilled marinated pork tenderloin with mango salsa as a garnish.

-Sherry

June 6, 2009 By Sherry

Soup

Souffled French Onion Soup

Souffle like you have never had before.

This is a wonderful recipe. A couple of years ago, my daughter and I took a mother/daughter trip to Napa Valley. We ate at the Greystone restaurant which is part of the Culinary Institute of America. We kept seeing these big bowls of “something” being served and decided we wanted what “they had”. Turns out it was French Onion Soup with a Cheese Souffle topping. I have made it several timesAnd it is very rich and I have used croutons instead of bread and not used any bread at all. I serve this in my Lionhead Apilco bowls I got from Williams Sonoma. (I work there part time so I get a great discount)

Anyway, here’s the recipe I came up with, hope you enjoy it as much as we have. It always brings back memories of our trip to Napa. I adapted both of these recipes from The Joy of Cooking. You can take any onion soup recipe and any cheese souffle recipe and make this recipe. Bon Appetite!

Souffled French Onion Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
5 medium onions thinly sliced
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme or pinch of dried thyme
2 Tbsp. Cognac
3 1/2 c. beef broth
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Cheese souffle recipe follows

Cheese Souffle Topping:

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
ground nutmeg
5 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. shredded Gruyere
3 egg yolks beaten
4 egg whites

Instructions

Melt the butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the onions and thyme and stir to coat with the butter/oil mixture. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally until they start to caramelize. This may take 30-40 minutes. You want a rich brown color.
Stir in the cognac and increase temperature to medium high. Stir in the beef broth. Reduce the heat and let simmer partially covered for 20 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper. Keep the soup hot while you make the cheese souffle topping.
To make the white sauce you want to melted the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour until well blended and smooth. This will take about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the 1 cup milk. Return the pan to heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue to cook, whisking until the sauce is smooth and hot and has thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove the white sauce from the heat and let stand for 30 seconds. Add, stirring well the Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the whites into the cheese mixture. Now you are going to ladle the soup into the bowls, leaving about 3/4-1″ at the top. Put the souffle topping on each bowl of soup. Put the bowls on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for about 20-25 minutes or until they are browned.
Try this first without the bread or extra cheese on top of the soup and you may find that you do not need the bread or croutons. I have never had this souffle fall. I think it is because the soup is hot and steaming and even after removing from the oven, we have never had them fall. I sometimes sprinkle more parmesan on top of the souffle before putting in the oven. Hope you like this one.

June 6, 2009 By Sherry

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