New Spring Recipes- Chilled Melon Soup and Blackberry Fennel Pizza

This week I have tried a couple of new recipes out on friends that I have found on different blogs. I wanted something that was pretty and colorful and looked like Spring time  to serve at a couple of  upcoming dinner parties. 

 

 I have to say that the Blackberry Fennel and Goat Cheese pizza was the hit of the week! You can read more about this great appetizer at

http://looksolovely.blogspot.com/2012/06/lsl-foodie-friday-blackberry-fennel.html.

 

I was lazy and purchased ready made pizza dough from DiGiorno and it was so easy to handle and roll out.  I sliced the fennel extremely thin on the mandolin and chopped the hazelnuts before my guests arrived. They helped to assemble the pizzas by rolling out the dough and layering on the ingredients- sliced fennel, fresh blackberries,  chopped hazelnuts, fresh minced thyme leaves, and finally  goat, brie or Gorgonzola cheese.  Bake the pizzas, then drizzle with honey when they come out of the oven.  My personal favorite was the one with the  creamy Gorgonzola cheese, but the vote was split between my friends.

 picture from looksolovely.blogspot

 

 

 

Our assembled pizza before it was baked- couldn't get a picture of the baked one because we ate it too fast!   Delicious flavors with combined together  with the warm gooey cheeses.  I will definitely make this again.   It's a very pretty and unexpected appetizer!!

Store bought pizza dough!  ( for the  original  version, go to the web address above)

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

1 small bulb fennel thinly sliced (reserve the fronds for garnish)

8 ounces fresh goat cheese, brie or Gorgonzola

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

salt and pepper

1 -2 tablespoons honey

 

Bake at temperature suggested on the dough package.  When crust is crispy  and hot,  drizzle honey lightly all over the pizza.

Serve immediately.

Another recipe that I made  for a dinner party on Friday night was a version of Prosciutto and Melon- and was very easy to eat -versus picking up melon and prosciutto slices with fingers . http://food52.com/recipes/258-chilled-cantaloupe-soup

A very ripe cantaloupe is pureed into a soup consistency  in a food processor and  sweetened with honey, orange juice and brightened with fresh lime and lemon juice. Add a little cinnamon .  I sprinkled sea salt  lightly on top before I served it in a martini glass with a prosciutto "flower" skewer garnish.

 

Note:  I used a prosciutto garnish instead of the mint in the recipe below- but the soup is the same.

 

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup

 Serves 6

 

 

6cups chopped cantaloupe, about 1 (4 pound) melon

1 1/2cup orange juice

1/4cup fresh lemon juice

1/4cup fresh lime juice

2tablespoons honey

1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4teaspoon salt

1sprig fresh mint

1. Place all ingredients, except for the mint, in a large bowl and stir.

2. Place half the mixture in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour soup into a pitcher, and repeat with remaining mixture.

3. Taste and whisk in more cinnamon, honey or even lemon juice if desired. It should taste sweet and tart, with only a hint of cinnamon. Chill the soup until ready to serve.

4. Remove the mint leaves from the stem (discard) and stack the leaves on top of each other. Roll lengthwise into a tight "cigar." Slice crosswise into thin strips.

5. Pour the chilled soup into six soup bowls. Garnish each with a sprinkle of shredded mint and serve.

Honey Lime Shrimp

Another winning recipe found on Pinterest- Honey Lime Shrimp! 

 I always like to have a bag of Costco's frozen peeled

 and deveined raw shrimp in the freezer

 and it is perfect for this recipe.

 I grilled them indoors on a cast iron grill pan.

 

I served it  over brown rice with roasted asparagus on top! 

Pretty and Healthy

 

This is an easy recipe for a weekday dinner, but tasty and pretty enough to serve company.

 

Find the original recipe here

 

 

 http://thedoughwillriseagain.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/honey-lime-shrimp/

 It was deelish!!!!!!

Honey Lime Shrimp

 serves 2

 

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

 1/4 cup olive oil

2 T honey

 juice of one small lime, or half a large lime (2-3 T)

 zest of one small lime, or half a large lime

 2 cloves garlic, smashed

 1/2 tsp kosher salt

 1/4 tsp black pepper

 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

 

1.) In a large ziploc bag, combine all the marinade ingredients. When everything is well-combined, add the shrimp, squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag, and close it up. Place it in the fridge.

 2.) Let the shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes, flipping the bag around once or twice during that time, so that all the shrimp stay evenly covered in the marinade.

 3.) When you’re ready to cook, take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; there is no need to add any oil or butter to the pan, as the marinade has enough oil in it to keep the shrimp from sticking to the pan. (If you would prefer to use the grill for these, you can thread them onto skewers and toss them on the grill at this point.)

 4.) Add your shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure they are not too crowded; you can always cook them in more than one batch. Let them cook on one side for about a minute, until they curl up and start to turn pink. Flip them over, and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from the pan, and serve immediately!

 



Ina's Melted Cherry Tomatoes over Salmon- Divine

Ina- you have  done it again.  I made your Melted Cherry Tomatoes over Salmon last night for dinner and I must say- it was divine. It is definitely  a new "go-to" recipe for my family. Your tips in the recipe really made this dish easy and very  successful!  I have never cooked my salmon so well.

 

 

First I sliced little "cherub" tomatoes in half. they are  truly the only tomato besides the Campari-on the vine tomatoes- to really taste like a tomato this time of the year in Chicago.

 

 

 

 

In general , you saute in olive oil  with onions until melted.

 

Throw in fresh basil.

 

Finish with balsamic vinegar and plate.

 

 

Sear salmon - skin side up- for 4 minutes- without touching- in an iron skillet.

This was an invaluable tip!

 

Flip with a fish spatula and voila- beautiful seared salmon.

 

 

 

Plate with the Melted Cherry Tomatoes.

We served with basmati rice. It was deelish!

 

Thanks Ina! You are my favorite and you have done it again!

Fresh and very healthy for the new year. 

This recipe is in her new book  "Foolproof".

Get this recipe and try it! We loved the tomatoes so much, that we made it again the next night and served it with  beef filets. Again, it was a hit!  This is a versatile  tomato sauce- perfect for many applications.

 

 

 

Easy Decadent Brownies

 

There is a lot of talk in blogland about Oreo Brownies right now, especially using the Oreos with the seasonal orange filling. Basically, you bake  the oreo in a brownie batter.  But  my favorite candy is the Reese's Peanut Butter cup, so I decided to try this concept with them.  Using a prepared Ghirardelli Brownie mix, mixed according to directions, I layered the following in a parchment lined  9 by 9 inch baking pan.  First I pressed a roll of Pillsbury Peanut Butter cookie dough in the bottom of the pan.  Next I layered a bag of Pepperidge Farm toffee chip and pecan cookies and then topped them with the peanut butter cups.  Finally you pour the brownie mix over the top and bake according to the package directions.  I lined the pan with parchment paper so they would come out easily.   Let them cool completely before cutting into squares.  If you look closely at the brownie, you can see the pecan toffee layer and the peanut butter cup.  But they soak up the batter and become a soft gooey center of the brownie.  I warmed them a little in the microwave to re-energize that  chocolate gooey-ness and topped them with salted caramel ice cream.  Heaven on a plate!  Now I have to give them away, so that I don't eat them all.  Help me please!

Just imagine the possibilities with this recipe - what's your favorite candy in a brownie?!!!  We will be joining Foodie Friday at www.Designsbygollum.blogspot.com.  Check out some great fall food ideas.

Lemon Chess Pie

it all starts with a bowl of lemons- actully it only takes a couple of them!

puffed and just out of the oven

cooled and ready to eat-

a candied lemon slice with fresh thyme for garnish

flaky thick pie crust - read below for the the easy secret!

warm custardy lemon pie- deelish!

Lemon Chess Pie - no one knows where it got it's name- but it's a staple for most  Southern cooks.  One story says that when the pie was pulled from the oven, someone asked - "what kind of pie is that?' And the cook replied " it's jes pie" and that's how it got its name!   This recipe is my aunts - but all of my aunts made chess pies - plain, chocolate, orange, coconut, you name it - it was made.  My momma made mini ones with chopped nuts on top ( she was ahead of her time on the "one bite" - dessert trend! But it didn't  really make any difference- we just ate 3 instead of one!)  It is an easily adaptable recipe and is in our cookbook - Romancing the Home Entertains" in several versions.  I love to make an orange chess pie or chocolate mint, but this weekend I had a bowl of lemons that need to be used. Besides, lemon is Mr. RTH's - our maintenance man's - favorite flavor.  It is a simple recipe, using ingredients that you probably have in your pantry.   For this pie, I added a little fresh lemon thyme to add a different flavor profile and it was great. And I cheated on the crust - I learned this trick from a Paula Deen show years ago and have done it ever since -  buy two ready made pie crusts. Bring them to room temperature.  Lay one over the other with a few drops of water in the middle and roll both of  them together with a rolling pin. Place in the baking dish.  The double layer pie crust  really mimics a home-made crust and is much more flaky.  Try it and see  what you think!

Lemon Chess Pie

 

 

prepared pie crust

2 c. sugar

1 T. flour

1 T. cornmeal

4 eggs

1/4 c. melted butter

1/4 c. milk

3 T. grated lemon rind

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

 

Combine sugar, flour and cornmeal in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into the prepared crust.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until slightly  set in the middle. It will firm as it cools.

 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Great served with whipped cream!



Easy Sunday Morning Brunch

Love the rhinestone collars for wine bottles or decanters - available at  the store

My favorite champagne glasses- Palais by Bayel in France

Puffed and golden brown just out of the oven

 

I wanted to prepare a simple -no stress- brunch for Sunday morning. So I assembled an Overnight

Raspberry French Toast the night before that was so easy.  The next morning I took the casserole out of the refrigerator and added the crumble to the top along with the fresh raspberries and popped it in the oven.  The smell was divine as the French toast baked.  Asiago and Parmesan scrambled eggs and uncured applewood smoked bacon were leisurely prepared while  the casserole baked. As a finishing touch, I sliced fresh oranges and added raspberries with a little Grand Marnier splashed into the bowl.

A little champagne poured into a glass and breakfast was ready!  Note:  this baked French toast is light, fluffy and very good. I think you could add pecans to the crumble topping and make it  even more deelish.  Any berry could be substituted. While I sliced the challah bread into slices, I think it would have been more consistent presentation if I had diced the bread  into cubes and made French Toast bread pudding- something I will try next time! But definitely a keeper of a recipe and one that can be easily adapted. We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.net for Tablescape Thursday.

 

Baked Raspberry French Toast

 

12 slices of bread

8 large eggs

4 T.  granulated sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

3 c. milk

2 c. fresh raspberries, cleaned

4 T.butter, softened

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

 

Butter a 9 by 13 baking dish.  In the prepared dish, arrange the bread in layers, cutting in half as needed for coverage.  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla and milk. Pour over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the dish from the refrigerator and sprinkle the fresh raspberries over the bread.  Combine the butter, flour and brown sugar; blend with a fork until combined.  Sprinkle over the berry layer.  Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until puffed and brown.

Serve immediately with syrup.



Savvy City Farmer Delights Guests

THE SHED  aka    "Shop the Shed"   Is this not darling?

Lots of newly finished goodies awaiting our purchase.

Entering Joy's home into the "summer kitchen", a glass of  ice water, chilled by frozen fruit! Oh my goodness!

I just loved this!

Summer kitchen's coffee station

Such a clever idea - freezing the fruit for "ice cubes".  So beautiful.

Our menu for the the evening

The rustic table awaits our enjoyment.

Fresh salsa for the Summer Corn Cakes

Magical!

Goat Cheese with Cranberries and Pine Nuts

My favorite - Roasted Red Grapes with olive oil, thyme and coarse salt on Ricotta and Baguette Slices

Darling efficient kitchen

Love the cabinet door.

Joy's comfy room for watching tv and hanging out.

Office now located in the dining room- so cleverly done.

Dining room now in old living room- love that map as a table topper.

Comfy sofa

Joy's office in former dining room- perfect use of a formerly little used space.

Herbal tussie mussies from Angela's garden ( Joy's daughter aka"the Parisienne Farmgirl") given to us as parting gifts.

The evening was destined to be  magical . After all, after a blazing hot day of 90 degree plus weather, a thunderstorm moved through the area and plunged the temperature to 75 degrees, just as we were driving to Joy's home.   Upon entering the back of the  1800's farmhouse home, in a charming garden sat this little magical shed with a tin roof - we just sighed. We were excited to "shop the shed" with newly acquired  and finished treasures that Joy had gathered for us.  All of  the Romancing the Home girls and friends found several things that they could not live without in the charming little shed. The cooler weather made it possible for us to enjoy our unhurried time browsing Joy's collections.  After gathering our own little stashes into piles, we were invited into Joy's home and entered through her "summer kitchen", an enclosed porch outfitted with coffee and beverage stations and decorated in the charming French Nordic style.  As some of the girls had never seen her home before, little squeals of delight and "OMG" were heard from several mouths.  We were invited to enjoy our choice of grapefruit margaritas, white and red wine or just the simple beautiful water with fruit.  Entering the kitchen with our cocktails,  an amazing table of delectable appetizers lay before us.  My favorite was the Roasted Grapes on the Ricotta and Baguette Slices. (Recipe to follow). An interesting, wonderful meld of olive oil and thyme on the grapes was absolutely divine - a real keeper of a recipe.  While Joy prepared fresh Summer Corn Cakes, we enjoyed wandering her living and dining spaces and were enchanted by her talent of unique and ispired design.   Some of the girls sat on the front porch and enjoying the view of the street filled with homes built in the 1800's in the quaint little midwestern town of East Dundee.   Finishing  with a yummy dessert , Neiman Marcus cake,  a sweet vanilla cake bottom with a crunchy cream cheese topping( another new recipe for me - google it!),  we loaded our cars and headed back home. As we left, Angela (Joy's daughter) handed us little herbal tussie mussies for our own kitchens- we were all touched by the  sweet gesture .  You know you have been inspired by an evening when the entire conversation on the hour's ride back home is about all the treats and inspirational ideas from Joy's home.   Thank you Joy- we loved it!

Roasted Red Grapes on Ricotta and Baguette Slices

Toss red seedless grapes with olive oil, fresh thyme and coarse salt to taste.  Roast in a 450 degree oven until the grapes burst open,  about 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, slice a baguette on the diagonal into slices about 1/2 inch thick.  Brush with olive oil and toast on one side until light brown. ( do not get too crispy as you want the slice a little soft - easier to bite).  Spread with the best quality ricotta cheese you can find. Dollop the grape mixture  on top!  Enjoy this divine little treat.