Italian from Tuscany to New York (aka Rachel Ray Sucks!) - January 2007

Diva: Tiffany

Drinks: Tamara
Fresh Strawberry Bellini

1 bottle prosecco*
2 c pureed and strained fresh strawberries

Place 8 Champagne flutes in the freezer for 20 minutes. Open the prosecco and let it stand in an ice bucket for 5 minutes.
Into a pitcher, pour the 2 c pureed strawberries. Gently pour in the bottle of prosecco and stir gently to combine. Divide among Champagne flutes and serve.

*For virgin bellinis, substitute sparkling water for the prosecco.

Appetizer: Ashley
Phyllo Triangles with Carmelized Onions, Roasted Fennel, Kalamata Olives and Prociutto and Goat Cheese

For Carmelized Onions
1 large sweet onion, vertically sliced about 2 ½ c
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

For Roasted Fennel
1 fennel bulb, sliced
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
½ T olive oil

Additional ingredients
½ c rinsed chopped kalamata olives
3 ½ oz goat cheese
4 oz prociutto
phyllo dough

To roast fennel: cut stalks off bulb. Reserve ½ tsp of the fronds. Cut bulb in half cross-wise. Slice moderately thin and cut again crosswise. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 450 until tender, about 20 minutes. When cool, add reserved fronds.
Carmelized onions: heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet at medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until very soft, stirring occasionally. This can take about 45 minutes. Remove onions from the pan with a slotted spoon, draining off any excess oil. Cool and mix with the roasted fennel.
To make triangles: preheat oven to 400. Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board. Brush with melted butter. Add another sheet of phyllo and cut into quarters lengthwise. Lay a 1 inch piece of prosciutto on a sheet. Spoon 1 level tablespoon of onion/fennel mixture onto the short end. Place 2-3 small pieces of chopped olives on onion-fennel mixture. Place a small dollop of goat cheese on op and finish with a second piece of prosciutto. Fold 1 corner of edge with 1 inch border over mixture, forming a triangle. Continue folding back and forth into triangle to end of strip. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Place triangles, seam side down on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Brush tops of triangles with melted butter. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes or until golden.

Salad: Michelle
Italian Salad

1 lb Spinach and mixed salad greens
1 8 oz jar Kalamata olives
3 Roma tomatoes
½ lb Fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil

1 c Olive oil
¾ c Balsamic vinegar
1 bulb Garlic
3 T Honey

Tear greens into bite size pieces
Slice olives, romas and mozzarella.
Gently mix all salad ingredients together.

Mix olive oil, vinegar honey and garlic in a glass jar and shake until honey dissolves. Shake dressing before serving, and dress salad right before eating.

Soup: Stacey
Italian Cream of Cauliflower Soup

1 large head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, diced
½ c olive oil
¼ c butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
5 c chicken broth
1 c heavy cream
salt and pepper
garnishes: lemon wedge, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and homemade toasted sourdough croutons (garnishes are a must for this soup!!)

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil and butter until soft, about 5 mins. Add cauliflower and sauté until browned, about 15 mins. Season with lots of salt and pepper. Lower heat, cover, and cook for 10 mins., stirring occasionally. Add broth, cover again and cook for 20-30 mins. until cauliflower is really soft. Stir in cream, warm and serve. Garnish and Enjoy!!!

Side Dish: Erin
Potato, Apple, and Camembert Timbales

Serves 4

You need four tall ramekins that are each 1 cup capacity. A mandoline or another hand-held slicing device is useful here.

Butter (for the dishes)
6 Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes
1 red cooking apple (such as Cortland, Paula Red, or Jonagold), cored and finely sliced
1 piece of camembert (9 ounces)
4 T butter, melted
Salt and pepper, to taste
¾ tsp ground allspice
2 T chopped fresh oregano

Set the oven at 400 degrees. Butter the ramekins, line the bottom of each with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit it. Brush the paper with butter.

Peel the potatoes and rinse them. Pat them dry with paper towels. With a mandoline or chef's knife, slice the potatoes very thinly; set aside. Core the apple. With a mandoline or a chef's knife, slice it finely; set aside.

Slice the camembert in 8 long pieces. Remove the rind. Cut each slice in two.

Layer the bottom and sides of the ramekins with potato slices, covering the surfaces completely. Pour 1 teaspoon of butter on this layer and press the potatoes down firmly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a pinch of allspice, and chopped oregano. Top with a slice of apple. Add more potatoes, butter, and seasonings, then a slice of apple.

Put 2 pieces of cheese on top of the apple and press down again. Continue layering with potatoes, seasonings, apple, and cheese, ending with potatoes. Brush with melted butter and press down.

Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake them for about 40 minutes or until they are firm and golden.

Remove the ramekins from the oven and set them aside to cool for a few minutes. Run the tip of a knife around the edge of each ramekin. Using oven mitts, turn them out onto salad plates. Discard the parchment paper rounds.

Entree: Mariah
Calzones

Calzone Dough
1 c warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1 package active dry yeast
Pinch sugar
2 ½ c all-purpose flour, plus additional as needed
½ tsp salt
2 T olive oil

To prepare the dough, pour warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar onto the top of the water. Briefly let the water absorb the yeast, then stir to dissolve it. Let stand for 15 minutes until the mixture is foamy. In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 1/2 c of the flour and the salt on low speed. Add the yeast mixture and oil, and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 c of flour and beat for 1 minute, until the dough just clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead for 2 to 3 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be soft, but use additional flour as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest in a warm place until tripled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball. Using a rolling pin or your hand, flatten into 6-inch circles on a lightly floured surface.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Filling Recipes

Arugula and Ricotta Calzones

1 large garlic clove, minced
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
5 oz baby arugula (8 c packed)
6 oz whole-milk ricotta (2/3 c)
3 oz whole-milk mozzarella, coarsely grated
2 T finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 large egg yolk
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Preparation
Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add arugula and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a sieve and press hard on arugula to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible, then coarsely chop.
Stir together ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, yolk, salt, and pepper until blended, then stir in arugula.

Sausage Calzones
1 1/3 pounds raw Italian spicy sausage, casing removed
4 small brown mushrooms
A drizzle olive oil
2 c ricotta
A handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
A handful grated Parmigiano
2 T chopped pimento

Preparation
Brown sausage in a small skillet in a drizzle of olive oil. Transfer the cooked crumbled sausage to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Combine sausage with ricotta, mushrooms, parsley, garlic and pepper. Roll out dough and halve cross-wise. Place a dough rectangle on a nonstick cookie sheet. Use 1/2 c mozzarella on half of each dough rectangle and pile a mound of filling on half of the total area. Fold dough over and pinch edges to seal. The result is a rectangular turnover.

For half-moon shaped calzones, trim excess dough. Bake calzones 15 minutes or until golden all over. Serve calzones with warm tomato, marinara, or pizza sauce for dipping.

Dipping Sauce Recipes

Five Minute Spicy Marinara:
2 T (two turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic crushed
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (32 ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 tsp Italian dried seasoning
1 handful Italian parsley leaves, chopped

Add olive oil to medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add garlic and crushed pepper to the heated olive oil; when pepper snaps and garlic sizzles, stir in crushed tomatoes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes and stir in parsley. Serve.
Yield: 4 servings

White Clam Sauce

2 T olive oil
½ c chopped fresh parsley (preferably Italian)
8 garlic cloves, chopped
4 6 ½-ounce cans chopped clams, drained, juices reserved
½ c whipping cream
¼ c dry white wine
1 T white wine Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped parsley and chopped garlic and sauté until garlic just begins to color, about 45 seconds. Add reserved clam juices, whipping cream, dry white wine, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Simmer until mixture is reduced to thin sauce consistency, about 10 minutes.

Pesto Sauce
4 c Basil Leaves, well packed
4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled
1 c pine nuts or walnuts or a combination
1 ½ c freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese or a combination
1 ½ c extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation

Large bunch of ultra-fresh basil(1 c after finely mincing)
1 large garlic clove, very finely sliced and then minced (You can use more than this, but a little bit of raw garlic goes a long way!
½ c very finely diced sun-dried tomatoes, preferably oil packed
2 t raw sugar (turbinado) (or Splenda)
½ c pine nuts, preferably roasted and finely chopped or ground.
1/3 c finely diced or grated Parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino Romano cheese
Enough very good extra virgin olive oil to produce desired consistency. (I have never measured the olive oil, I just go by feel. I would say around 1/3 c, though. The better the olive oil and the quality of your basil, the better the pesto.)

Dessert: Sara
Chocolate Genoise Cake with Raspberry Filling and Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate genoise cake:
3/4 cup cake flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch of baking soda
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Chocolate ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
To assemble:
2 cups seedless raspberry jam
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Garnish: Raspberries, mint sprigs, powdered sugar

Genoise: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan.

Into a small bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch and baking soda. In a large metal bowl set over barely simmering water, whisk eggs and sugar with a hand-held electric beater until thick, foamy and doubled in volume. Mixture should form a ribbon when beaters are lifted. Make sure that mixture does not get too hot and curdle eggs. Remove from heat and gently fold in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in melted butter and pour into cake pan. Bake 20 minutes until cake is springy to touch. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a cake rack, turn out and cool completely.
Ganache: In a small saucepan bring cream to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until thickened, but still pourable.

Assembly: Halve cake crosswise. On a cake rack set over a baking sheet, cover bottom cake layer with raspberry jam and replace top layer. Over center of cake pour ganache and smooth over top and sides with a palette knife until evenly coated. Let icing set, about 1 hour. To decorate, pipe whipped cream as desired, arrange raspberries and mint and dust with powdered sugar.

WildCard: Lovina
Rosemary Focaccia with Portabella and Parmesan

For the dough:
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 ½ tsp sugar
1 c lukewarm whole milk
2 ¼ c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp sea salt

For the topping:
1 T butter
2 large portabella mushroom caps
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
½ c fresh grated parmesan
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
2 T extra-virgin olive oil, to coat the baking sheet and the dough

For the dough:
Combine the yeast, sugar, and milk in a food processor or mixer with a dough hook. Add 1/2 cup of the flour. Stir well, cover with a towel, and let rest in a warm place for 25 minutes.
Mix in the olive oil, salt, and 1 cup of flour, until well incorporated. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough adheres to the hook. It should remain soft and slightly sticky. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Remove from the bowl, shape the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, and put into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a towel and put in a warm place for about 1 hour, to let the dough rise until doubled.

For the topping:
Slice the portabella mushroom into long thin strips. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the portabella mushroom. Salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a baking sheet.
Lightly flour the dough and punch it down. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until smooth. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 by 10 inches. Brush off any excess flour and transfer to the oiled baking sheet. Brush the dough with olive oil and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
Press your fingers into the dough to make evenly spaced indentations all over the surface, being careful not to puncture or tear the dough. Scatter half the Parmesan over the dough. Lay out sautéed mushrooms over the dough. Sprinkle with lemon zest and rosemary and a dash of sea salt. Top with remaining Parmesan.
Bake for about 25 minutes until the bread is crisp on the bottom. Let cool in the pan to room temperature. Cut into squares, "fingers," or triangles to serve.

Caprese Appetizer

1 package of marinated fresh mozzarella balls (small)
1 package of grape tomatoes
½ c fresh basil, torn into bite sized pieces
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
2 T EVOO
1 T balsamic vinegar
½ tsp fresh lemon zest

Cut mozzarella balls and tomatoes into halves and toss together with basil. Whisk together EVOO, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Pour over the top when ready to serve and toss. Serve on a small platter with a jar of toothpicks.

Lottery: Nicole

French - December 2006

Diva: Stacey

Drinks: Ashley
Calvados Cocktail

1 shot of Calvados
1 sugar cube sprinkled with bitters
champagne

Makes 1 drink
Pour shot of Calvados into champagne flute. Drop in sugar cube and carefully(it will fizz alot) top off with champagne.

Appetizer: Sara
Mustard Crackers

½ c unsalted butter, cut into T pieces
½ lb grated Gruyere cheese
1 c unbleached all-purpose flour
3 T Dijon mustard
2 tsp dry mustard
1 ½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp salt

Place the butter and cheese into a food processor and process till smooth
Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until a ball of dough forms.
Divide the dough into two.
Place each on a sheet of waxed paper and roll into 8-in logs. Wrap them up in the waxed paper. Then wrap the logs in foil.
Place in the freezer and freeze for 2 hours or until firm.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter 2 baking sheets. Cut the logs crosswise into ¼-in slices and place on the sheets. Keep them about 1-in apart because they will spread a bit while baking.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown. Remove and cool on racks.

To go with the crackers:

1 lb mushrooms, coarsely chopped
5-10 shallots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, germ removed, chopped
3 T olive oil
Optional – may use some chopped hard boiled eggs and/or chopped parsley as a garnish.

Heat a large saucepan over med-high heat and pour in the olive oil. Heat the oil.
Add the mushrooms, shallots and garlic and cook, stirring once in a while, until browned.
Season with salt and continue cooking until the mushrooms have given off their liquid.
Continue to cook and stir until the liquid has evaporated.
When the mixture is dry, place in a food processor and pulse to form a chunky paste.

To serve: spoon the mixture into a serving bowl. Garnish if desired and serve with crackers or toast points.

Salad: Lovina
Cucumber Salad with Goat Cheese and Lemon

3 kirby cucumbers, washed and dried
4 large radishes
zest of one lemon
1 c goat cheese crumbles (can also use feta cheese)

Vinaigrette:
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T white wine vinegar
1 T finely chopped dill
½ tsp sugar
1 garlic clove, pressed
½ c plus 1 T olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Soup: Jen Knight (sub for Mariah)
French Winter Vegetable and Bean Soup w/ Pistou
Serves 4

Pistou
2 c (packed) fresh basil leaves
½ c drained canned diced tomatoes
3 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled

Soup

2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only)
2 medium carrots chopped
1 6-ounce white-skinned potato, peeled, diced
3 T water

8 c canned vegetable broth

½ c orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

6 ounces green beans, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained

¼ tsp dried crushed red pepper
2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese 


For pistou:
Puree all ingredients in processor. Season with salt and pepper. (Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For soup: 
Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy large pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil. Stir in orzo; boil uncovered until orzo is almost tender, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add green beans; reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in cannellini and crushed pepper; simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide pesto among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over pesto; swirl to blend. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. 



Side Dish: Nicole
Gratin Dauphinois (Potatoes)

**I got this recipe from my cousin, born and raised in France now living with her husband (a recognized chef) in Belgium. Sorry I did not convert the measurements, you can easily find that on line if you are going to prepare this yummy dish ☺

2.21 pounds potatoes
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
0.132 gallon milk
garlic
butter
nutmeg

Peel and slice finely the potatoes.
Take a large baking dish, rub butter all over and then rub a clove of garlic.
Dress evenly the slices in the dish.
Beat 2 eggs with a little bit of milk and the teaspoon of salt + 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg.
Beat the egg mixture in the rest of milk..
Pour this on the potatoes and dot with butter (you can also add on top shredded Swiss cheese I layered the cheese throughout).
Bake in oven at 428 °F for 50 minutes ( at the end of the cooking if it's to brown you can cover with an aluminum foil)

Gratin is usually for this king of vegetable dish with cheese on top which become brown under the grill or in the oven
Dauphinois is the region of France where this recipe come from it's in the Alps mountains.
Here we cook the potatoes sliced in square in a frying pan with duck grease, boletus mushrooms and garlic.

Entree: Michelle
Scallops Provencal and Tofu Provencal

1 pound fresh sea scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
½ c chopped shallots (2 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 c dry white wine
2 lemons, 1 cut in ½ and the other on wedges

Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
To get a really nice sear on scallops they cannot be wet. The flour dries the scallops and will help give it a nice brown color when they are sauteed.
In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer, making sure they are not touching. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Once the scallops have seared, remove them from the pan and place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil.
Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, until the shallots have softened.
Pour in any of the juices that the scallops have given off while resting into the saute pan and then add the wine and the juice of one lemon.
Turn up the heat to high and cook until the sauce has thickened to your liking, while scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. This should take a minute or two.
At this point you could add the scallops back to the pan and stir to coat them with the sauce. However, I like the slightly crisp texture of the sear on the outside of the scallop and I find that combining them with the sauce in the pan makes the scallops taste soggy.

Tofu- I just chopped in blocked, bite-sized pieces and followed the recipe the same way, substituting tofu for scallops.

Dessert: Tiffany
Cracked Chocolate Earth with Whipped Cream (Flourless Chocolate Cake)

1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 stick unsalted butter
9 large eggs, separated
¾ c granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 c heavy cream, cold
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan.

Put the chocolate and butter into the top of a double boiler (or in a heatproof bowl) and heat over (but not touching) about 1 inch of simmering water until melted. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color. Whisk a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs - this will keep the eggs from scrambling from the heat of the chocolate; then whisk in the rest of the chocolate mixture.

Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared pan (spray the bottom with nonstick spray) and bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then unmold.

While the cake is cooking, make the whipped cream. Whip the cream until it becomes light and fluffy. Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar.

Serve at room temperature with the whipped cream.

WildCard: Erin
Edith Piaf CDs

Lottery: Tamara
Served with candy canes!