Savory Tarts - With ease if you please!

What is it about savory that we just can't get enough of? When done right, it just doesn't get any better. The wonderful thing about savory is that no matter where you live, there are a bounty of recipes that will satisfy those cravings. And what do we usually do when we crave savory? Well, most of us don't do it right. We want it quick and easy; however, so many times quick and easy means running to the freezer or convenience store and grabbing a frozen packaged precooked item, popping it into the microwave and two minutes later, presto! It's ready.

The next time you settle for "presto", think about reading the nutritional facts on the back of the package. When was the last time you read that label that should sometimes come with a skull and cross bones with a warning, that gives you the good and bad news about what you're about to consume? Can we talk sodium? Some servings of those savory, quick foods can contain nearly an entire day's worth of sodium, an ingredient that can be more dangerous to your health than fat. It's also amazing to note the amount of sugar contained in some of those quick fixes for cravings.

All in all, you know you can do better in the kitchen with minimal effort and ingredients to fulfill the need to satisfy your savory cravings. And the fact that you have control over and know what's going into your creation, is all the better for you and your health. With proper fresh ingredients, herbs, and spices, you can turn a savory tart for example, into a not-to-bad-for-your-health dish. About the only thing you have to worry about is the puff pastry, which admittedly, is a bit over the top in regards to fats; however, with careful planning, you can counter the bad with the good you put into your filling. Using herbs instead of salt will minimize the sodium intake. Using low fat or part skim milk cheese will balance out the added fat in the crust. And using tasty vegetables, properly prepared, will provide a wonderful bouquet of savory flavors. Roasted red peppers, olives, shallots, and garlic offer wonderful taste enhancers that will satisfy your yearning for a savory bite. Read on . . .

Napoleon is not just dessert anymore!

Whenever you think of a Napoleon, instantly your mind envisions wonderful layers of thin puff pastry, vanilla, cream, and custard, ever so sweet, every bite begging another. Mille-Feuilles in French, this dessert goes back to the 17 Th  Century, some having it go back hundreds of years earlier.

Well, now you can wake up and take those visions out of your head. Think savory! This Napoleon is like no other and sugar is no closer  than the sun is to the earth. Furthermore, as opposed to the final course, Pork Tenderloin Napoleon sneaks in at the beginning. No less pleasing to the eyes, this wonderful dish will impress your guests from the aromas coming out of your kitchen to the last bite.

Elegant as it looks, Pork Tenderloin Napoleon is very easy to make and assemble. If you've been following this blog, you've already prepared each of the components in the past. Each serving consists of slices of Pork Tenderloin, puff pastry, and a wonderful Port or Madeira wine sauce with sauteed shallots, garlic, and thinly sliced Portabella mushrooms.

To start out, gather all your ingredients:

1 Pork Tenderloin roast (about 1.5 lbs)
1 Puff Pastry sheet, thawed, refrigerator chilled until ready to use
2 Portabella mushrooms, sliced 1/8 inch thick
3 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1 tablespoon of capers
1 teaspoon of green peppercorns (if dried, soak in warm water for 30 minutes)
1 cup of Port or Madeira Wine
1/2 cup of beef stock
3 tablespoons of butter
olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)

Pork Tenderloin Wellington, a reasonable alternative...

Many of you have most likely heard of Beef Wellington; however, how about getting Pork in on the action? Presenting Pork Wellington, with all the elegance and savoriness of its richer cousin, but at a fraction of the cost. This dish has not been costed, but it easily comes in a less than $25.00 for 6 servings. Consider Pork tenderloin at $5.00 per pound vs. Beef tenderloin at $25.00 per pound! The rest of the ingredients are much the same cost for each. And presentation is no less impressive to your guests! If you've got a bit of time, try this. It's well worth it. Without further ado, let's get started.

2   1.5 lb Pork Tenderloins
2   Puff pastry sheets
8   Slices of Prosciutto Ham (or Serrano), sliced thin
1   Egg (for your egg wash)

The filling:

12 medium sized white mushrooms, finely chopped
1 oz. of Foie Gras (you can also use a non coarse smooth pate)
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 to 4 tablespoons of fine toasted bread crumbs
1/4 cup of parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper
salt
1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 tablespoon of Brandy (pref. Apple)
4 tablespoons of olive oil

What is important when preparing a dish that calls for envelopment in a pastry shell is to semi cook the meat you will use, followed by a cooling period so that juices are set and will not run during the final stage of baking. With that in mind, let's prepare the pork tenderloin.

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 (180c). Remove your tenderloin roasts from the package and cut about 4 inches off the tapered end of each roast. Save those ends, as we will use them in a future recipe. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Make sure your skillet is not so big that it won't fit in the oven. Pat dry the meat so that it won't splatter while cooking. Lightly salt and pepper all sides, then brown for about 5 minutes total. Remove pan from heat and transfer to the oven. Lay a sheet of foil over the pan so meat doesn't splatter in the oven. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Following that, remove from oven and pan, set meat in a dish and allow to completely cool, which should take an hour or so. Do not place in your fridge as this should cool to room temperature. Do not discard the pan drippings, as you will use this for your filling.

While meat is cooling, you should now prepare the filling that will go around your roasts. Make sure all your prep work is completed as per the list above. Pour any excess pan drippings from the pan you cooked the pork into a bowl and set aside. Now add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute for a minute or so, stirring with a wooden spatula. Next, add the garlic and continue to saute for another minute. Add the mushrooms and stir.

Continue to cook, adding a bit more olive oil if needed. Turn heat down slightly if you need to at this point. Saute for another couple of minutes and then add the wine and Brandy, along with the bread crumbs. Stir well so that bottom of pan is well deglazed. If you find you need to, add a few tablespoons of water. Finally, add the pan drippings you had set aside and stir well so everything is completely mixed. Transfer to a food processor.

In the food processor, add the Foie Gras, 2 pinches of salt, cracked pepper, Dijon, parsley, Worcestershire Sauce, and pulse mix until a rough paste has been achieved. Taste for proper seasoning, adding a bit more salt if you need. You should need to add anything more to this, as it should be perfectly seasoned. Remember, the slices of ham will add salt to your dish, so be careful. Set aside and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

While cooling, you can now prepare your slices of ham. Take a sheet of plastic wrap and lay it out on a cutting board. Next, lay out 4 slices of ham onto the board lengthwise, allowing the slices to overlap approximately 1/2 inch. Using half of your paste mixture, use a frosting spatula and spread it evenly over the ham. It should spread very nicely. Now add one of the cooled pork roasts on one end and carefully begin to roll it, using the end of the plastic wrap to push the roast along. It goes without saying at this time to be sure NOT to roll the plastic wrap into the roast... LOL. When completely rolled, the roast should be covered with the plastic. Holding each end of the plastic wrap firmly, roll the roast along the cutting board so that it seals it completely. Repeat the whole process with the second roast. Once done, transfer to your fridge and allow to set for about an hour or two.

While meat is in the fridge, remove the puff pastry sheets from the freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature. This should take about 2 hours. Once pastry is thawed, remove meat from the fridge and allow 30 minutes to warm to room temperature. Lightly brush your cutting board with a tablespoon of flour and lay out your first pastry sheet. Carefully stretch out the sheet with your hands and fingers. Don't use a rolling pin please, it's not needed. Simply stretch the sheet out an inch on all sides, that's all.

Preheat your oven to 425. Remove the plastic wrap from the first roast and place in the middle of the pastry sheet. Lightly brush some of the egg wash around the ends of the sheet and then fold the end closest to you over the roast. Roll the roast until it reaches the other end. Fold the left and right ends in, making sure all the seams and well sealed, using additional egg wash if needed. Set in a non stick baking pan, seam side down. Brush the top and sides with egg wash and with a sharp knife, make several slits on the top to allow steam to escape. Repeat this process for the second roast. Then set the second roast along side the other, making sure they are at least 1 inch apart.

Transfer dish to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until pastry is golden medium brown. Remove from oven and allow to set for about 15 minutes before serving. You may use the pan drippings to make a nice green peppercorn sauce, using a bit of olive oil and butter, a few tablespoons of Port wine, salt and pepper. It's your choice. I have found it very simple to just purchase a package of the Knorr Green Peppercorn Sauce mix and be done with it. This dish marries perfectly with a side of baby French green beans and a small serving of potatoes puree. Just remember however, the starch is in the pastry shell, so don't overdo it. Enjoy this preparation, it's absolutely mouth watering. Yes, it is a bit involved and takes time to prepare; however, there is nothing complicated that should keep you from attempting it. You won't regret it and neither will your dinner guests. This preparation will serve 4 to 6 .

Raspberry Mascarpone Tart is a piece of Heaven with every bite

Recently, I noticed a number of Foodies out there have posted various fruit tarts from strawberries to apples and pears. Thanks to all of them, it has inspired me to try my hand at one and I believe it to be a winner. Because of your inspiration, I certainly can't take full credit, but have none the less added my special touches to this one. I served this to my guests for Sunday brunch and it was like seeing a bunch sweetoholics swarming over it never being able to get enough of it. I must admit, later in the evening I could still smell the scent of the perfumed aroma of the raspberry compote. I can't say enough about the incredible flavors that screamed out of every bite. As a footnote, it was relatively easy to prepare.

The topping:

2 pints of fresh raspberries (2 small boxes)
2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier
2 tablespoons of Grenadine syrup
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 cup of raspberry preserves
1 packet of gelantine powder (diluted in 1/3 cup hot water)

The filling:

1 package of cream cheese (8 oz.) at room temperature
1/2 container of Mascarpone (4 oz.) at room temperature
1 whole egg room temperature
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier

The crust:

1 puff pastry sheet
2 tablespoons of flour

You can make your own puff pastry, but please, do you really want to complicate this dessert? Have we forgotten what this blog is all about, simplicity?? Just take the pastry sheet out of the freezer and set it at room temperature and let it thaw for about an hour or so.

When thawed, unfold it and lay it over a cutting board that has been sprinkled with the 2 tablespoons of flour. Preheat your oven to 400 (200c). Get yourself a tart pan that has the romovable bottom, you know the kind I'm talking about? You want one about 9 to 10 inches in diameter. Since there is plently of butter in the puff pastry, you really don't need to butter your pan. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the puff pastry so that it is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Don't roll it too thin or you won't have a nice bottom crust. Lay the pastry dough over the tart pan and push along the sides with  your thumb so that it molds itself nicely to the sides. If you have extra pastry dough that goes over the sides, simply fold it back into the sides making sure that it sticks well in the fold. With a fork, poke holes on the bottom and sides so that pastry doesn't puff up.

When ready to bake, use baking paper to cover the bottom and sides and then fill the pan with dried beans (like kidney beans or white beans). This will also help prevent pastry from puffing up and will keep its shape. Be sure to use baking paper and not foil. Foil, for some reason, keeps the bottom from baking well. It's best to use parchment paper or that special plastic paper that's oven safe. Anyway, I digress. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes. When finished, remove from oven and lift out the beans and paper and allow to cool. It will continue to bake while it is still hot.

While pastry is cooling, start preparing your topping. In a medium sauce pan, add the raspberries, sugar, and Grand Marnier. Heat and bring to a very slow bubbling over medium to medium low heat, stirring frequently. Once liquid has been produced by the raspberries, add the preserves and the Grenadine and continue to cook for about 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl through a strainer so that you separate the liquid from the solids. The liquid will produce a wonderful syrup that you will coat your serving plates with. Set the solids back in the pan and set aside.

Now you can prepare the filling. In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, Mascarpone, egg, vanilla, and Grand Marnier, and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended and creamy. It may take a few minutes but you want to do this by hand. Once smooth, add the sugar and mix well for a couple more minutes.

Now it's time to bake again. Once the crust has cooled and the base has hardened a bit, add the filling of cream cheese and  Mascarpone  to the crust shell making sure it covers the base evenly. Since there could be leakage at the seams of the pan bottom, cover the bottom and sides of the tart pan with foil. This next step is very important. ONCE THIS GOES IN THE OVEN, THE OVEN DOOR MUST STAY SHUT AND NEVER BE OPENED UNTIL BAKING IS COMPLETE. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes and then shut the oven off and leave the tart in the oven for another 40 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR DURING THIS TIME.

When baking is done, remove and set the tart aside to cool for about an hour. When cooled, add the gelatin (diluted in hot water) to the raspberry solids you have in the pan and stir well for about a minute. Let set for 5 minutes and then pour over the top of the filling making sure the entire surface is well coated. Transfer tart to the fridge and allow to continue to cool for another hour.

To serve, coat each plate with the raspberry syrup (about 2 tablespoons per plate) and place a nice wedge on top. Finish with a nice spoonful of well whipped heavy cream. You will have a dessert that is guaranteed to wow your guests. You won't believe the incredible flavor your taste buds will experience. I seriously recommend you make this at home. It was out of this world and I have all of you that have posted various tarts to thank for inspiring me to try my hand at it.

Don't get puffy with me, pizza! Wow, with these flavors, get as puffy as you want.

Lighter and less filling, puff pastry makes a wonderful alternative to regular pizza dough when you're in the mood for a change, I kid you not! Puff pastry is such a wonderful discovery, what would a nonchef do without it? This pizza (I hate calling it a pizza because it really isn't) offers a very flaky crust and a very nice mix of flavors. I think I'll call it Puff Pastry Seafood Tart. And as always in keeping with the theme of our blog, it's so easy to make and takes less than an hour from prep to eat. Here's what we need to get going:

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
1/2 lb of fresh bay scallops
2 cups of your 2 favorite cheeses, grated
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 button mushroom, sliced
1/2 green pepper (Italian), chopped
1/4 cup of parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 2 pinches of salt

Preheat your oven to 400. Next, do all your prep work, slicing, dicing, chopping, and measuring. Put all aside. About 2 hours before preparing this recipe, be sure to remove and thaw 1 pastry sheet.

Once thawed, spread the flour over a cutting board so that it well coated. Rub some of the flour on your rolling pin as well. Lay your pastry sheet out and begin to roll it out so that you can cut a 12 inch circle. Don't roll it out too thin or your bottom (of the sheet) will become soggy when cooked. Using your best Geometry, cut out a perfect (or close to) and set it on a large round pizza pan.

In a bowl, add all the vegetables, scallops, olive oil, salt and pepper, along with a couple of small handfuls of the cheese. Mix very well with your hands. Begin by sprinkling some grated cheese on the surface of the pastry dough, careful to leave about an inch around the edges free of any ingredients.

Next, begin to add the mixture of vegetables and scallops evenly over the dough, leaving that 1 inch edge clear. Once done, add the remainder of the cheese on top.

With a brush and some cold water, moisten the 1 inch edge and then begin to fold the edges at a slight angle so that the fold goes right to the edge of the ingredients but not over it. When folded, you will have about 1/2 to 3/4 inch edge that will be elevated a bit and will have a nice design. Check the picture carefully so that you can see exactly how to fold.

Place on the middle rack of your oven and bake approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. This will serve 4 people comfortably; a wonderful and simple tossed green salad will compliment this dish very well. This dish will also work very well for brunch alongside a nice glass of champagne. Enjoy!

Apple Cream Cheese Palmiers

One of the things I don't like to do is throw food away. If you remember the other day when I made my Apple Calvados Cheese Cake, I had some leftover apple slices that I had cooked. I also had an extra package of cream cheese. I decided to come up with a little dessert (great for breakfast) that I thought you might like. This is very simple to make and it utilizes any of the leftovers you had from the cheese cake recipe, should you have chosen to make it - or if you make it in the future. I decided to call this Apple Cream Cheese Palmiers. What an original name, LOL. OK, here are the leftovers I had:

Brussel Sprouts Pastry Pockets

I had brussel sprout leaves left over from the Wilted Brussel Salad that I made the other day and was wondering what I could do with them. I love leftovers, whether it be from last night's dinner or ingredients that I didn't completely use up from a dish that I made previously. Either way, I consider them leftovers. One thing I like doing with them however, is to try and create a totally new dish, not just reheating them in the micro. So these brussel sprout leaves were just hangin around in the fridge next to a mozzarella ball and then it hit me. Why don't I come up with a baked dish that incorporates both? It sounded easy to me. I checked the freezer and noticed I still had a puff pastry sheet and that's when it all started coming together. I was going to make Brussel Sprout Pockets, filled with brussel sprout leaves, mozzarella, and cheddar.

They turned out very good and so I decided to share the recipe with you. This recipe is very easy to put together and tastes great hot or cooled. You can have it as an appetizer at dinner time or for lunch with a tossed green salad. Here's what you'll need:




1 Puff pastry sheet (Pepperidge Farm; be sure to thaw out a couple of hours before using)
4 Cups of brussel sprout leaves (or you can take brussel sprouts and slice them thin)
1/4 Cup chopped parsley
1 Cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (or 4 slices from a Mozzarella cheese ball)
1/2 Cup of Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Teaspoon of crushed garlic
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons of flour
Egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water beaten)

Fill a medium size pot 3 inches with water and bring to a boil. Add the brussel sprouts and cover, cooking for about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, strain very well and set aside to cool.

Unfold the puff pastry sheet onto a floured cutting board. Rub your rolling pin with flour. If you have parchment paper, use a sheet of that over the pastry sheet and you won't have to worry about the dough sticking to your roller. Proceed to roll out your sheet until you get a square approximately 14 inches by 14 inches. Make sure you don't roll it out too thin. Next, with a sharp knife, cut the sheet into 4 equal squares. If the edges are jagged, just use your knife to cut nice straight sides.

Once the brussel sprouts have cooled,  gently squeeze any remaining moisture out and put them in a bowl, adding the crushed garlic, parsley, and salt/pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients well. At this point, you may take a small handful of the mozzarella cheese (if you used shredded) and add it to the bowl and mix in well. Preheat your oven to 425.

We will now start filling our pockets. Before you do, with a brush, coat all the edges of each pastry square with the egg wash, approximately 1/2 inch wide. Now, in the center of each square, add some of the brussel sprout leaves so that doesn't go beyond the egg washed edges. Your pastry squares are about 7"x7" and the brussel sprouts will cover  a space of about 2" wide by about 6" in length. Next, add some of the shredded cheddar. Finally, add the shredded mozzarella or if you used slices from the mozzarella ball, cut each slice in half and place them onto the brussel sprouts.

Now, carefully fold one side of each square over the brussel sprouts and cheese so that each corner connects with their opposite corner and created a nice pocket. Gently push down on the sides to fuse the seams together. With a fork, push gently down to make imprints of the fork teeth all the way around the fused seams. Use your brush to lightly egg wash the surface of each pocket. Set the pockets on non stick baking sheet or a greased sheet. You may also line the sheet with parchment paper. Before transferring to the oven, use a tooth pick to punch 4 holes in each of the pockets. Bake at 425 for approximately 25 minutes or until the pastry pockets are golden brown. Remove from oven and let set for about 5 minutes before serving. This is another great way of presenting brussel sprouts to those that may not otherwise like them. Enjoy!

Meat Loaf En Croute - You've never had it this way!

Bonjour! The weather is changing and evenings are cooling off. You come home from work soaked from the cold Autumn rain. Yes, it is that season again when warm and hearty dinners become the desire. Beef stews, split pea soups, and hearty pasta dishes are once again at the top of the food chain. Oh, but wait! I forgot the meat loaf. Yes, meat loaf is definitely right up there with all the other wonderful Autumn and Winter dishes; however, once you have prepared my version of this dish, you will want to have it throughout all the seasons.

"En croute" is French for "wrapped in pastry". Hence, Meat Loaf en Croute is meat loaf wrapped in pastry. I had this for dinner late last week and it was a hit. The combination of savory meats, onions, and cheese wrapped in a light and flaky pastry crust is just too delicious to describe. You'll just have to make it and try it for yourself. It presents itself very elegantly at the dinner table and the great thing about this dish is its simplicity to make; you've already prepared the meat before, if you tried my stuffed peppers in a previous post. The recipe for the meat is the same, well almost. So let's get started and gather our ingredients:

1 Puff pastry sheet
1/2 pound of ground beef (20% fat)
1/2 pound of plain ground pork (do not use pork saussage or Italian or anything like that)
1/2 cup of either Panko or plain bread crumbs
1/2 white or yellow onion, minced (food processor works great)
1 medium red tomato, chopped finely
4 garlic cloves, minced (you can put them in the processor along with the onion)
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 whole egg
1/2 cup of finely grated Swiss, Gruyere, or Parm.
2 tablespoon of flour
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons of Tomato Paste
4 pinches of salt
4 pinches of pepper

Remove pastry sheet from the freezer a good couple of hours beforehand. Take and prepare all your ingredients. If you have a smaller food processor, it will work well to mince your onions and garlic. Otherwise, just used a sharp bladed knife. In a large bowl, add the meat, bread crumbs, onion, tomato, garlic, parsley, egg,  tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and using your hands, mix very well until those ingredients are incorporated. Now add half of the cheese and half of the flour, and mix well until ingredients have been well mixed with the meats. Form into a ball.

Take the remaining flour and spread it over a cutting board and begin to roll the meat out into a cylinder shape 2 1/2 inches in diameter by 10 inches in length. Make sure that when you roll it out that the meat captures as much of the flour so that the loaf has a thin coat of it all around. Set aside carefully.

In a 10 inch frying pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the meat carefully and saute, turning it on all sides until it is well browned and has some caramelization on the surface. I have found that if you turn it a quarter turn every 3 minutes, that tends to work fine. Touching it, there should be a nice semi hard surface and it should have a little give. Remember, 90 percent of the cooking is in your pan. The oven will simply heat it back up and finish the remaining 10 percent cooking. You just want to make sure that it's not going to be dried out. When finished, remove the loaf and set it on a plate and allow to cool.

After meat has cooled, preheat your oven to 425 and  prepare your pastry sheet. Make sure your cutting board is completely clean and dry. Sprinkle flour to cover board surface and also rub flour on your rolling pin. Set the pastry sheet on the board and unfold it carefully. Begin to roll out the sheet, rolling in a single direction. Now if my memory of Geometry still serves me and your meat loaf was the dimensions I specified, you will need to roll out a rectangle of 13 inches by 7.97 inches.... so just round it off to 8 inches wide, ok? Just make sure you don't roll it too thin.

Finally, spread the remaining grated cheese down the length of the sheet, leaving an inch on the borders for your egg wash. You may sprinkle some parsley if you desire. Brush an egg wash (egg and teaspoon of water mix) on all the edges. Take the meat and set it on the pastry sheet lengthwise and carefully begin to roll the pastry while roling the loaf. Once completely rolled, pinch the ends and secure the seam. You can use a fork if you wish, leaving an imprint up and down the seam. Turn the loaf so that the seam is at the bottom. With a sharp knife, make 1 inch slits diagonally, about 1 to 2 inches apart. Brush some of the remaining egg wash over the pastry.  Place on a non stick cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up and is a nice golden color. Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

When serving, slice along the slits that you made, that way the pastry won't break up and you will have nice long diagonal slices. Nice corkscrew macaroni lightly tossed in a tablespoon of tomato paste, olive oil, and grated parm works wonderfully. Finish off with a salad of mixed greens. No need for bread or slice of cheese because you already have both in your Meat Loaf en Croute. Try a nice Pinot with this dish. Bon Appetit !

Shrimp and Scallops in Puff Shells

I love making this dish not only for its simplicity, but also for its delicious flavors and textures. And who doesn't like shrimp and scallops? I guarantee you, there's nothing complicated about this.

This recipe will serve 4 dinner guests as a first course or appetizer. If you have more guests or you want to present this as an entree for 4, then just double the measurements of the ingredients. I have had this as an entree and finished off with a spinach salad and a slice of Gruyere. Yum. Ok, here's what you will need:



1 Puff Pastry sheet
1/2 lb bay shrimp
1/2 lb. baby scallops
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups fat free half n half, or 3.8 milk (make sure it's cold)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup sherry wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup grated hard cheese of your choice (parm, gruyere, or swiss)
1 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Let's start out by  preheating the oven to 425. Take your puff pastry sheet and lay it out on a cutting board. If you have a pastry mold or cookie cutter, cut out 4 rounds about 3 inches in diameter. Put them on a non stick cookie sheet (use parchment paper), with a small brush, brush an egg wash very lightly so the pastry will come out a shiny golden brown. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up really nicely. Please don't overbake!

While the pastry is baking, get your other ingredients together and do your prep work. When pastry shells are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool. Now take a sauce pan and on medium heat, add the olive oil and butter. Heat until butter has completely melted. Now add your shallots and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes till shallots are nicely translucent. Continuing on medium heat, sprinkle the flour over the shallots and garlic and stir well for about a minute. Slowly start adding the milk while constantly stirring. Add the sherry wine. Stir and continue to cook, lowering the heat to medium low. Allow the milk to come to a slow faint boil. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add another half cup of milk. After 5 minutes, add the tomato paste and blend into the sauce. Your sauce should now start turning a nice pink salmon color. You may now sprinkle about 1/3 of the cheese a little at a time and while stirring, allow it to melt into the sauce. Continue to cook for about 2 more minutes and then add the paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well and then add your seafood and parsley. Taste for flavor.  Stirring constantly, continue to cook for another 3 minutes. When finished, turn heat off.

Your pastry shells should now have cooled nicely. Take a sharp knife and cut each shell in half horizontally. If you want to, you may flatten down the inside of the bottom half so that it makes a nice cavity. Set the bottom half in the center of each plate and pour a nice ladle of the seafood and sauce, sprinkle a bit of cheese and then cover that with the top half of the pastry shell. You may if you wish, add a bit more sauce over that or around the side. As a finishing touch, sprinkle a little more cheese over the pastry and around the edges of the plate. Serve hot and enjoy!

CRAB SEASON IS HERE - TIME FOR A SUBSTITUTE

Since crab season is upon us, a nice twist to this dish (for all you crab lovers) is to use fresh crab meat instead of bay shrimp. If you can get the meat from the legs and pinchers, it would be best. Also, don't add the crab to the sauce until the last minute of cooking. I've had this dish with the crab and I'll tell you, it's wonderful !!

Oh You Little Cream Puff !! Here's A New Twist on Turnovers.

Here's a new twist on turnovers that I tried over the weekend and I experimented with my dinner guests. They loved these little morsels. In keeping with the theme of my blog site, these are so simple to make and so so good!

You will need a pastry bag with a tip. I've included a picture courtesy of Wikipedia below. You can make your own by using a plastic sandwich bag and cutting a small hole at one of the corners. You will need a puff pastry sheet rolled out so that it makes a close to perfect square, but don't roll it thin, it must stay pretty thick. Cut the pastry sheet into 4 equal squares. Wet the edges of each square with either an egg wash (egg with a teaspoon of water) or  a little bit of milk or cream. Take each square and connect opposite corners to make a triangle. Then pat down the edges so they are sealed together. Finally, use a fork and make a nice imprint along the two edges that you sealed. Now you should have 4 empty turnover shells ready to bake. With your egg wash, brush a thin layer on each turnover so that they will bake to a shiny gold color.

Preheat your oven to 425. Set the 4 turnovers on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they have puffed up nicely and have some nice golden mounds. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Now for the filling. You'll love this combination. Here's what you need:



1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup of marscarpone (a creamy sweet cheese kind of like cream cheese, only better)
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup Reeser's peanut butter chips
3 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 capful of amaretto extract (or 2 tablespoons of the liquor)
1 can of lite whipping cream

Combine all ingredients except the can of whipping cream into a food processor and pulse beat until everything is well blended and creamy. Now take half of the mixture and put it into your pastry bag. Once your turnovers have cooled, stick the end of the pastry bag carefully into one side of the turnover and carefully squeeze about 2 tablespoons into the cavity. Take the nozzle of the can of whipping cream and carefully stick it into the other side of the turnover and very carefully press the nozzle and fill about 2 tablespoons of the whipping cream into the cavity of the turnover. Repeat for each turnover and serve as soon as possible.

These are so delicious and yummy, yet so easy to make. They are quite a treat after a nice dinner. The pastry is so flaky and the combination with the cream and peanut butter mixture will totally satisfy any sweet tooth, guaranteed! And please, just for tonight, forget about the calories!