Low Fat Baked Panko Chicken Paremesan with Roasted Tomato Jam

Last year at about this time we featured a recipe for bruschetta which featured an intensely flavoured roasted tomato jam. http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/11/roasted-tomato-jam-and-goat-cheese.html

I sometimes make large batches of this jam, just to have a couple of bottles of it on hand to use in other favorite recipes. This low fat baked version of chicken parmesan is one of my favorite uses for it to make a quick workday meal that is pretty healthy too, especially if you opt for a whole grain pasta. This recipe definitely deserves a place in your weekday meal idea arsenal.

Low Fat Baked Panko Chicken Paremesan with Roasted Tomato Jam

4 large boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to season
flour for dredging
1 egg + 1 tbsp water, whisked to make an egg wash
panko crumbs
olive oil

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, dip in the egg wash and then roll in the panko crumbs. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and lightly spray olive oil over the tops of the chicken breasts. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked. Turn the chicken breasts once during the cooking time.

Slice cooked chicken breasts and serve on angel hair pasta , topped with Roasted Tomato Jam ( or your favorite tomato sauce) and grated parmesan cheese . You can melt mozzarella over the top along with the parmesan if you wish.

Roasted Tomato Jam

6 medium vine ripened tomatoes diced

2 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Toss together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has reduced off the tomatoes are the consistency of jam.

Easy Raspberry and White Chocolate Tarts

My love of anything raspberry is demonstrated yet again in this pretty fuss-free recipe that is not difficult at all to make but looks pretty impressive just the same. The recipe uses frozen puff pastry for the tart shells and a very straight-forward shortcut method for making a simple white chocolate mousse for the filling. We served them at dinner a couple of days ago to some very appreciatve guests.

Easy Raspberry and White Chocolate Tarts

1 one pound package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)

Cut each sheet into 6 pieces and fit the pastry into 12 greased muffin tins. Poke several holes in the bottom and sides of the pastry in the muffin tins with a fork to prevent too much puffing of the pastry as it bakes. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until the shells turn a nice golden brown. Set aside on a wire rack to cool completely.

Raspberry Compote:

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cold water
1 ½ tsp corn starch

Bring the raspberries and sugar to a gentle boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add to the boiling raspberries stirring constantly until thickened. Simmer for an additional minute, remove from heat and allow the compote to cool to room temperature.

White Chocolate Mousse Filling

Heat 1/4 cup whipping cream in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Slowly melt in 2 cups white chocolate chips. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.

Whip 1 1/2 cups whipping cream to firm peaks with 2 envelopes of whipped cream stabilizer. Fold the melted chocolate into the whipping cream in 3 portions. Chill well before piping or spooning the filling into the shells and topping with the raspberry compote to serve.

Easy Brown Sugar and Dijon Glazed Pork Loin

This is a very simple recipe for a beautifully glazed pork loin roast. We had this one last night with some country cranberry stuffing, stir fried vegetables and roasted garlic potatoes. I use this method all the time for baked ham but decided to try it with a pork loin roast and it was succulent and delicious. Well worth trying

Trim the fat from the roast, leaving only a quarter inch of fat on top at the most. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper and open roast the pork on a rack in a 425 degree F oven for 1/2 hour.

Brush the entire surface of the roast with a large grain dijon mustard, then press brown sugar into the mustard, all over the roast. Return the roast to the oven, reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Continue to roast until the internal temperature of the roast hits 175 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Baste the roast in the drippings/sauce several times during the cooking time. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Apple Blossoms

This is a pretty simple dessert which is ideal for sharing. It's also one of thise desserts I like to serve at dinner parties because it can be made well ahead of time and popped into the oven to serve piping hot. I must admit that after I took these pics, I shared this one with the kids after we drizzled the whole thing in caramel sauce and sprinkled a few toasted walnuts on top. I generally serve this with a good vanilla bean ice cream but the caramel walnut version was absolutely awesome!

Apple Blossoms

Pastry:

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup shortening or butter (Very cold and cut in cubes)

6 tbsp ice water

Pulse the cold butter or shortening into the flour sugar and salt using a food processor until the shortening or butter is reduced to pea sized pieces. Sprinkle the water over the surface and toss with a fork until the water is just incorporated into the dough. Do not over work the dough; handle it only enough so that the dough stays together. Separate the dough into 4 balls and roll out into 4 thin circles. Place in the fridge to chill well.

Mix together
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Peel and core 4 large apples and stuff them with with the sugar and spice mixture and top each apple with 1 tsp butter.

Work with cold pastry here. Place each apple in the center of a pastry round and bring the edges of the pastry up over the apple to completely enclose it. Cut out a leaf or other shape from dough trimmings for decoration if you like for the top of the pastry and brush the whole pastry with an egg wash and  sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with ice cream or caramel sauce and toasted walnuts.

The Best Butter Tarts

Butter tarts are one of my all time favorite things to eat and have been for many years. I don't often make them because, to be absolutley frank, I would not rest until I had eaten all of them!

Canadians love their butter tarts and I have had some fine examples in other parts of the country but I think the nod goes to Quebec for the best I've had. I can't tell you the numbers of these I've eaten over the years, driving along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River and stopping into little bakeries along the way to sample the local versions of this perfect little pastry. Here is my favorite version.

Butter tarts

Pastry:

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup shortening or butter (Very cold and cut in cubes)

6 tbsp ice water

Pulse the cold butter or shortening into the flour sugar and salt using a food processor until the shortening or butter is reduced to pea sized pieces. Sprinkle the water over the surface and toss with a fork until the water is just incorporated into the dough. Do not over work the dough; handle it only enough so that the dough stays together.

Roll out thinly on lightly floured surface. Cut into rounds with 4 inch cutter. Fit into muffin cups. Chill in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

½ cup raisins

Combine all filling ingredients except raisins.

Mix well.

Sprinkle raisins in a single layer in the bottom of the pastry lined muffin cups. Fill 2/3 full with syrup mixture. Bake on bottom shelf of oven at 425 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack and remove tarts from from pans.

Makes 12 tarts.

Warm Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce and Toasted Walnuts

Here's a new temptation to add to my expanding collection of apple desserts. It is a very straight forward recipe for a very good apple cake that incorporates not only diced apples but grated apples as well, which helps to make it very moist and delicious. My favorite caramel sauce makes another appearance here as well as it inevitably does with most of my apple desserts. The toasted walnuts may just look like an appropriate garnish here but they bring a lot of flavour and texture to this party and definitely should not be left out.

With so many nut allergy considerations these days, adding toasted nuts as a garnish and leaving them out of the cake altogether is a good option to serve both those with and without nut allergies. In terms of flavour, I prefer to add them to the desert this way but if you wish, you may, of course, add them to the cake batter.

Warm Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce and Toasted Walnuts

Sift together and set aside:


1 ½ cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder


To a large mixing bowl add:

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup roughly chopped toasted walnuts (add to batter or use as garnish, your choice)

(Toast walnuts for 5 minutes at 350 degrees for 5 minutes tossing twice before chopping)

2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together for a few minutes before folding in the dry ingredients and:

4 medium sized apples peeled (2 diced and 2 grated)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a small bundt pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm with a drizzle of caramel sauce and garnish with toasted walnuts.

You can find a great recipe for the caramel sauce here:
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/best-caramel-sauce.html

Stir Fried Vegetables in Blackbean Ginger Sauce

We had this delicious side dish at dinner last night and it was a big hit with all. The kids scarfed their vegetables down and asked for the leftovers in their lunch for school today!

Stir Fried Vegetables in Blackbean Ginger Sauce

2 cloves minced garlic
3 tbsp peanut oil

In a wok over high heat, lightly saute the garlic in the oil before addding

1 1/2 cups sliced fennel
2 carrots thinly sliced

Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding:

1 cup white asparagus, cut in 1 inch lengths

Cook for an additional minute before adding:

1 cup snow peas
1 large red pepper diced
1 cup water chestnuts

Toss together well, then add, all at once:

1/2 cup blackbean sauce
3 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fresh greated ginger root
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Toss well then thicken the sauce with a slurry of

1tsp cornstarch dissolved in a little water

Toss well and serve with a garnish of sesame seeds.

Heavenly Rhubarb Jam (Rhubarb, Strawberry & Pineapple)

My grandmother always made Heavenly Rhubarb Jam which was my favorite during my childhood. She used canned crushed pineapple and Strawberry Jell-o in her recipe but I tend to favor using fresh fruit these days and if I add geletine at all, it is unflavoured intead of the artificially flavoured geletine that she did. All these years later, my kids now lap up this scumptious, simple jam on fresh baked bread or their morning toast.

Heavenly Rhubarb Jam

Makes about a quart.

6 cups diced rhubarb, fresh or frozen

4 cups fresh golden pineapple, diced small

3 cups chopped strawberries

1 ½ cups sugar (more or less to taste)

Combine all together in a 2 quart pot and simmer gently over low heat for about an hour, stirring constantly.

If you like a more jelly-like consistency, while the jam is still hot, you can add

2 tsp powdered gelatine dissolved in ¼ cup water

Let the gelatine stand in the water for about 10 minutes before adding to the hot jam and stirring until completely dissolved in the jam.

Spicy Stir Fried Orange Chicken

A quick and easy stir fried chicken dish served on a bed of rice noodles. The spicy heat comes from Chinese chili paste so it is very easy to regulate the amount of heat or even leave it out altogether if you prefer. There are enough strong flavours of orange and ginger to carry the dish without any heat at all but I just love it with a little kick! ;)

Spicy Stir Fried Orange Chicken

Serves 4

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in cubes

3 cloves minced garlic

3 tbsp peanut oil

Salt and pepper to season

In a wok or large sauté pan over high heat, season and stir fry the chicken and garlic in the oil until almost completely cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

To the wok or sauté pan add:

¼ cup rice wine or Chinese cooking wine

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

½ cup orange juice

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp chilli paste

Bring to a boil and return the chicken and garlic to the pan along with:

1 tbsp grated ginger

Zest of one orange

½ tsp Chinese five spice powder

1 red pepper diced

To thicken the sauce, add a slurry of:

2 teaspoons corn starch dissolved in ¼ cup cold water

(NOTE: You may not have to use all of the slurry. Use just enough to bring the sauce to the proper consistency.)

Finally toss in

2 large oranges, cut in sections

Serve over rice noodles and garnish with fresh chopped scallions.

Simple Beef Barley and Tomato Soup

Spouse is known for her tasty soups and this one could not be easier or more tasty. This is a great example of how very simple ingredients, well prepared, can be transformed into something special. It looks to be a cold rainy weekend in these parts, so a big pot of steaming soup is likely to be appreciated by all within sniffing distance of this hearty dish.

Simple Beef Barley and Tomato Soup

2 pounds beef roast cut in small cubes

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to season

In a 3 to 4 quart pot, brown the beef over medium high heat in the olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add:

3 cloves minced garlic

1 large red onion, diced small

Cook for an additional few minutes until the onions are softened. Add:

3 litres good beef stock (low sodium if you are using store-bought stock)

32 ounce can diced tomatoes

4 large carrots, diced small

4 large celery stalks, diced small

1 small turnip, diced small

2 tbsp dried oregano

½ cup barley

Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender and the barley is fully cooked.

Chocolate Orange Brownies

Regular readers of this blog will attest that I have a bit of a thing for any dessert falling under the descriptive umbrella "chocolate orange". We have featured recipes for chocolate orange cheesecake, chocolate orange trifle, chocolate orange truffles, chocolate orange bread pudding...and the list goes on.

While thinking today that brownie sundaes would be a nice surprise for the kids on the last day of their Thanksgiving school break, I was hit with the inspiration of a Chocolate Orange Brownie to form the base of the sundaes. It really is a just a slight variation on my regular brownie recipe but one that makes a big difference. I know there are plenty of chocolate-orange lovers out there, so be sure to give this one a try and if you dare, whip up a batch of homemade hot fudge sauce and sample them in a decadent chocolate orange sundae!

The recipe for a Quick and Easy Hot Fudge Sauce is also posted today.

Chocolate Orange Brownies

3/4cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4teaspoon salt
1/2cup butter
5 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light-brown sugar
3large eggs
1teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4cup semisweet chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa and salt. Melt together butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Add eggs,vanilla and sugars. Stir very well until sugars are dissolved.

Gently fold in dry ingredients. Then fold in:

zest of one large orange, finely grated and chopped

Pour batter into a 9 inch square baking pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the chocolate chips.

Bake for about a half hour at 350 degrees F or until the surface of the center of the brownies appears dry and firm. Toothpick test will not work for this recipe but it will tell you if the middle is still liquid. Do not over bake these brownies or they will be dry rather than moist and chewy.

Cut into squares when completely cool.

Here's a link to my Quick and Easy Hot Fudge Sauce if you want to try the brownies in a sundae:

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/10/quick-and-easy-hot-fudge-sauce.html

Quick and Easy Hot Fudge Sauce

 (Shown in a chocolate orange brownie sundae.)
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoon vanilla

Mixtogether the sugar and cocoa to break up any lumps in the cocoa. Add the cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and half the chocolate chips. Bring to a slow boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionaly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla and remaining chocolate chips until smooth.

Makes about 2&1/2 cups.

Can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Reheat the sauce in the microwave before using.

Recipe Revisits: All that Leftover Turkey!

Here are some post-Thanksgiving recipes of you looking for a good ideas for all that leftover turkey. Any of these could be dinner tonight!

Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini is one of my best leftover turkey recipes and a family favorite at our house.

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/turkey-parmesan-baked-rotini.html

Of course, my favorite Turkey Dressing and Gravy Panninis are always another great alternative.

http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/03/turkey-dressing-and-gravy-panini.html

Turkey Pot Pie is a classic option for leftover turkey.

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/04/turkey-pot-pie.html

Turkey Stew is another delicious option

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/04/turkey-stew.html

How about a great Turkey Agnolotti Soup?

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/10/turkey-agnolotti-soup.html

or last but by no means least, is a childhood favorite of mine which is great if you don't feeel you've indulged quite enough this weekend; Deep Fried Turkey

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/02/deep-fried-turkey_15.html

...and if there are any leftovers after all that...well next year buy a smaller bird!! LOL! Happy Leftovers!

Quick and Easy Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken is my favorite take-out lunch these days, especially when I crave something spicey. I've been playing around with a few recipes at home lately and really like this simple version.

This is not only a very simple but very fast recipe for a weekday dinner. You can have this one on the table in 20 minutes.

Serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in small cubes
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 cloves minced garlic
pinch fresh ground black peppper

In a hot wok, saute the chicken with the garlic and pepper until almost completely cooked. Remove the chicken from the wok for the time being.

To the hot wok add

2 tablespoons peanut oil
4-6 whole chiles (You can substitute chile sauce to better control the heat to your taste. Start with about a teaspoon for mild heat.)

Toss the chiles in the oil for a few seconds before adding all the folowing ingredients quickly and all at once.

1/4 cup rice wine
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
2 tbsp Black Bean Sauce
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
1/2 tsp chinese 5 spice powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Reduce the heat on the wok to medium and bring the sauce to a simmer before adding the chicken back to the wok. Add:

1 diced red pepper
4 green onions chopped in 1 inch pieces

Cook for an additional minute.

To thicken the sauce stir in a slurry of :

1 ounce water
1 tsp corn starch

Serve on a bed of rice or Chinese noodles and garnish with toasted peanuts or cashews.

Screechin' Peach Cobbler

This recipe is inspired by a Bourbon Peach Cobbler that I had in the southern US several years back that I just couldn't forget. The cobbler in this recipe is particularly light and delicious but the addition of our famous "Newfoundland Screech" brand dark rum to the peaches brings this recipe to a whole new level. Many of our readers will not have access to that brand of rum, of course, but any good quality dark rum will make more than an acceptable substitution.

I guarantee this one will be a hit at your family's dinner table or with anyone lucky enough to get an invitation any time you serve this outstanding dessert.


Toss together the following ingredients and spread in the bottom of a deep dish 13x9 (or similar sized) glass baking pan.

8-10 cups fresh peaches
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1'4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Screech (or other dark rum)
2 tbsp corn starch

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes.

While the fruit is baking, prepare the cobbler topping.

In a food processor combine:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar

Using the pulse button on the food processor cut in

1 cup very cold butter, cut in small pieces

Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. ( If you don't own a food processor, you can cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or even a couple of knives.)

To the flour/butter mixture add

3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract


Fold in the cream just until a soft dough forms. Do not overwork the dough or it will become too tough. Less is more here and the less you work the dough, the lighter your cobbler will turn out.

Drop the cobbler dough in heaping tablespoonfuls onto the hot fruit mixture. Return the baking pan to the oven for about another 25-35 minutes or until the top is evenly golden brown. Let the cobbler rest for 10-15 minutes before serving warm with some good French Vanilla ice cream.

Chicken Wellington with Country Cranberry Pecan Stuffing

We had this delectable Chicken Wellington last weekend and I even warmed up the leftovers the next day for lunch and everyone knows I don't do leftovers!! The breadcrumbs for the stuffing came from some leftover country loaf from Georgetown Bakery, the cranberries were picked on the bogs near Newtown, Bonavista Bay and the fresh herbs came from my back garden. I did serve it with a pretty rich chicken gravy which I think makes the dish.

This one is a great for dinner parties because itcan be made well ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready to pop into a hot oven for about 45 minutes; gets you out of the kitchen and spending more time with your guests.

Serves 4

Country Cranberry Pecan Stuffing

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 small red onion, minced
6 cups breadcrumbs (crusty French or Italian or any good rustic artisan type bread)
3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to season
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
¼ cup melted butter
1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock

Sauté garlic and minced onion in olive oil and add to remaining ingredients. Toss together well and use as a stuffing for chicken, turkey or a loin roast of pork.

You can also cook it in a covered casserole at 300 degrees F for about ½ hour.

To assemble the Chicken Wellington:

One pkg (1 pound, 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to season

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cut the puff pastry sheets in half . On each half sheet, place a handful of the stuffing (about a half cup) in the center of the pastry sheet and place a chicken breast on top of the stuffing.

Brush all the edges of the pastry with an egg wash of 1 egg whisked together with 2 tbsp cold water. Bring both sides of the pastry up to the top of the chicken breast and pinch the other two ends together to seal the pastry. Flip the pastry wrapped chicken breast onto a parchment lined baking sheet so that the seams are on the bottom. At this point you can cut leaf shapes out of scraps of puff pastry and place on top of each serving for decoration if you like. Chill in the fridge for a half hour.

Brush the egg wash over the tops of the pastries and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes until the pastries are a medium golden brown and the internal temperature has reached 180 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with your favorite chicken gravy.

Apricot Raisin Five Spice Oatmeal Cookies

Spouse makes a wicked soft, chewy oatmeal cookie that has been previously featured on this blog. http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/01/best-oatmeal-cookies.html

This week she was experimenting with that recipe and came up with a real winner with the addition of some Chinese Five Spice Powder and dried apricots. I arrived home to the scent of these coming straight out of the oven but only sustained a minor finger burn from snatching one off the hot cookie sheet....it was still worth it though! ;)

½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Cream the butter and sugars together well. Add egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Sift together:

¾ cup + 2 Tbsp flour
1 & 1/2tsp Chinese five spice powder

½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
½ tsp baking soda

Fold into the creamed mixture. When the dry ingredients are almost incorporated, add:
1 ½ cups large rolled oats
2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots

½ cup chopped pecans, cashews, macadamias, slivered almonds or walnuts (optional)

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 ½ inches apart.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Do not over bake or your cookies will lose their chewy texture. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Raspberry Chocolate Bread Pudding

Very good bread pudding is a family favorite at our house and this one hit all the right marks; bread pudding is Spouses's absolute favorite dessert, Noah and I love raspberries and Olivia doesn't turn down anything chocolate so there was definitely something for everyone in this version of a very simple, classic dessert. I've used some delicious Brioche from Georgetown Bakery here which adds even more richness. Mmmmmm...Go ahead, try it...you only think you don't like bread pudding! ;)

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
5 cups bread cubes (Use any good quality bread. I’ve used Brioche here but French, Italian or Belgian bread is good too.)

Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish well. Toss the bread cubes with :

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon

Place half the bread cubes in the bottom of the greased baking dish and sprinkle evenly with half the raspberries. Repeat a second layer of the remaining bread cubes and raspberries

Whisk together:

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, pressing down slightly to make sure all the cubes are soaked. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes until the custard is set and no longer liquid in the center. Let the bread pudding stand for about 20 minutes before serving.
Serve with warm chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache:

Scald 1/2 cup whipping cream in microwave

add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Let stand for five minutes before stirring until smooth. Drizzle over the warm bread pudding.

Molasses Raisin Tea Buns

In a food processor, combine:

2 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Cut in:
¾ cup cold butter, cut in cubes
until mixture resembles a fine meal. Remove to a large bowl and stir in:

1 1/2 cup raisins (light or dark, your preference)

Make a well in the center of this mixture.
Mix together:
1/2 cup dark mollasses
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Pour into the well and mix only enough to form a dough ball.

Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out buns with biscuit cutter and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-minutes. Baking time may vary a little depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 12 tea buns.

Irish Ale Beef Stew

This great fall dish is made up of 3 elements that come together to make one of the most delicious beef stews I have ever had. I start with a great homemade beef stock, braise the beef in Irish Ale and add farm fresh roasted root vegetables to complete this delicious stew. A great weekend recipe for the cold days ahead.

4 to 5 pound blade beef roast

Cut the roast into large chunks about 1 ½ inches in size. Salt and pepper the raw meat to season. Toss the beef chunks in regular flour to coat.

In a large heavy bottomed skillet heat

4 tbsp canola oil

Brown the beef chunks on all sides, working in small batches so as not to crowd your pan. When all the beef is browned transfer it to a large covered roasting pan along with

2 pints Irish Ale (Smithwick's is a good choice.)
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 bay leaf
Stir all the ingredients in the roaster then cover well with aluminum foil and the roaster cover. Cook slowly in a 300 degree oven for about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Roasted Vegetables

Toss together:

2 pounds carrots, cut in chunks
2 pound parsnip, cut in chunks

2 pound turnip, cut in chucks

6 celery stalks, diced

2 cloves minced garlic

4 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to season

Roast in a shallow baking pan for about 40 minutes.

Beef Stock

5 pounds of beef bones

2 cloves minced garlic

Season with salt and pepper and roast in a covered pan for about an hour.

Add

2 litres of boilng water

2 finely grated carrots

and return to the oven or stovetop to simmer for about an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Strain the stock from the bones and add to the braised beef along with the roasted vegetables and

3-4 pounds yellow potatoes, washed and unpeeled, cut in chunks

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Return to the oven for about half an hour to 45 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly fork tender. Add 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen peas and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Serve with freshly baked bread, biscuits or Yorkshire pudding.