Belgian - May 2008

Diva: Stacey

Drinks: Ashley
Belgian Beers

Chocolate Drink
Heat 2 cups whole milk and one split vanilla bean in a saucepan over moderate heat. When just about to boil, but do not let it boil, remove from heat and stir in 8 0z dark Belgian chocolate. Either drink hot, or put in a blender with ice and blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream.

Appetizer: Erin

Endive, stilton and pear tart
Serves 8.

2 T unsalted butter
2 heads Belgian endive, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices
½ c chopped shallots
1 tsp curry powder
3 large pears, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 17¼ ounce package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed (2 sheets)
1 large egg, beaten to blend (glaze)
1 c crumbled Stilton cheese
3 T chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add endive, shallots and curry; sauté until endive is golden, about 8 minutes. Add pears and vinegar and cook until pears are tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place both pastry sheets on lightly floured work surface. Cut one 9-inch round from each pastry sheet. Place 1 round on heavy cookie sheet. Brush pastry with egg. Stir cheese and chives into endive mixture. Arrange endive mixture atop pastry round, leaving 1/2-inch border. Cover with remaining pastry round. Press and crimp edges to seal. Brush tart with egg. Using small sharp knife, cut small hole in center of tart. Freeze 10 minutes.

Bake tart until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let tart stand 1 hour before serving.

Salad: Sara
I prepared a salad of mixed greens or mesclun, with Belgium endive cut crosswise. I also added
quartered artichoke hearts
sliced apples
grape tomatoes
raw almonds
gorgonzola cheese slices

The dressings were:
Cranberry White Wine Vinaigrette
2 Tablespoons each of White wine vinegar, Concentrated Cranberry juice (sweetened), and olive oil.
Salt and pepper to taste

Spicy Tarragon vinaigrette
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 ¼ teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 small garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil

Soup: Lovina – Absent

Side Dish: Mariah
Brussel Sprouts Gratin

1 ½ c Half And Half
2 Pounds Brussel Sprouts
Salt -- to taste
3 Ounces Bacon -- chopped
Pepper -- to taste
1 Pinch Nutmeg
3 T Gruyere Cheese -- grated

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly butter a gratin dish. In a small saucepan, simmer the cream over medium heat until reduced to 3/4 cup about 10 minutes. Trim the base of the sprouts, discard the tough outer leaves and rinse well. Place the sprouts in a medium sized saucepan with salt and cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute. drain and refresh under cold water. Combine sprouts and bacon in gratin dish. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour the cream over and top with cheese. Bake until nicely browned and crisp about 15 minutes.

Serves 4

Entree: Tamara
Stuffed Tomatoes – One of Belgium’s Favorite Summer Dishes

Sauce:
4 firm, ripe beefsteak tomatoes
salt to taste
1 T unsalted butter
½ medium onion, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 T tomato paste (I used more)
1 sprig fresh thyme or ¼ tsp dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ tsp sugar, if needed
1 T finely minced fresh parsley

Stuffing:
1 slice (1 in thick) firm white bread, crusts trimmed (I used whole wheat, and I think you could use more than 1 slice)
½ c milk (I used rice milk)
1 T unsalted butter
½ medium onion, minced
¾ pound lean ground meat (a mixture of pork and veal or all beef) (I used Light Life TVP)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 large egg, slightly beaten (I used Ener-G egg replacer but I think you can leave it out)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the pulp, leaving the walls ¼- ½ -inch thick. Reserve the lids and the tomato pulp. Sprinkle the insides of the scooped-out tomatoes with salt and turn them upside down on a plate to drain.

Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Do not let it brown. Add the garlic, the reserved tomato pulp, the tomato paste, and thyme. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the tomatoes are on the tart side, add the sugar. Puree the sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth Sprinkle with parsley.

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Prepare the stuffing: Let the bread soak in the milk in a small mixing bowl for about 10 minutes. Melt the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned. Squeeze the bread dry and discard the milk. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sautéed onion, bread, ground meat, garlic, egg, and parsley. Season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Generously butter a glass or enameled baking dish just large enough to hold the 4 tomatoes.. Fill the tomatoes with the meat stuffing and place the reserved lids on top. Place the tomatoes in the buttered dish and bake for 35 minutes. Reheat the tomato sauce and serve each tomato with some sauce spooned over it.

Dessert: Aven

Strawberry Mousse
1 Pound Strawberries -- sliced
2 T Granulated Sugar
1 T Kirsch Or Grand Marnier
½ c Confectioner's Sugar
1 ¼ c Whipping Cream

Directions Place half the strawberries in bowl and sprinkle with the granulated sugar and kirsch. Let macerate for 15 minutes. Puree the remaining strawberries together with the confectioner's sugar. Whip the cream into stiff peaks. Reserve a quarter of the whipped cream for garnish and refrigerate. Carefully fold the remaining cream into the pureed strawberries. Arrange the macerated strawberries in 4 wine glasses, reserving a few slices for garnish. Fill the glasses with strawberry cream, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. Pipe the reserved whipped cream through a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and decorate with sliced strawberries.

Grandmas Gaullets

1 dozen eggs
1 pound real butter (not margarine), softened
3 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 3/4 cups white flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons vanilla
(makes about 12 dozen thin gaullets.)

Mix in order, thoroughly. Refrigerate dough overnight or at least several hours (it is easier to work with) Preheat iron to medium (if you do not have heat settings on your iron, simply preheat.

Place about a teaspoon and a half in center of bottom grid of iron, if you have an iron that makes multiple "cookies" put a teaspoon of dough in each area.

Close iron and cook until golden brown. It will take about 30 seconds for thin cookies and up to 2 minutes for waffle thick cookies.

You will need to use a spray cooking oil such as PAM to keep the cookies from sticking. I use a non-stick pizzelle iron for convenience, it is very similar to the old iron that my Grandma used. The exception is that my iron is electric, poor Grandma had to stand over an open flame.

These gaullets take several hours to cook (12 dozen !), make sure you have enough time before you start.

Lottery: Colleen

California Wine Country - April 2008

Diva: Lovina

Drinks: Tamara
Red and White Wines from the California Wine Country
White Grape Juice with sparkling water mixed over ice.

Appetizer: Sara
Avocado Taco Rolls

I used IndiaLife Tortillas

8 Avocados
1/4 c lime juice
Mashed together

Cilantro Sauce:
1/3 C Lime Juice
1/3 C Olive Oil
2 bunches of Cilantro stems and all
1/2 jalapeño pepper seeds and all
whipped up together in my food processor

Mole Sauce--

4 ½ c chicken broth
3 T olive oil
1 c finely chopped onion
3 T chopped garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 ½ T chili powder
3 T all-purpose flour
2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I usually use Hershey Special Dark, it has a sweetness that mellows the sauce)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over med/low heat. Add onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Cover and cook until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder and flour, stir for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth. Increase heat to med. high. Boil until reduced, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate; season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Salad: Erin
Spinach-Orange Salad

½ c fresh orange juice
¼ c Sherry wine vinegar (I used both Sherry cooking wine and wine vinegar)
3 T honey
1 T fresh lime juice
¾ tsp chili powder
¾ c olive oil

2 6-ounce packages baby spinach (I used mixed greens and spinach)
4 oranges, peel and white pith removed, quartered, cut crosswise into
¼-inch-thick slices
2 c matchstick-size strips peeled jicama
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, cubed
½ c chopped red onion
¼ c chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk fresh orange juice, Sherry wine vinegar, honey, fresh lime juice and chili powder in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine remaining ingredients in another large bowl. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat lightly.

Soup: Stacey
Homemade Tomato Soup
Serves: 6 Servings

1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
¾ c extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 T butter
¼ c chopped fresh basil leaves
½ c heavy cream, optional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 c of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream, if using. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

For garnish:
1⁄4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 c basil leaves
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Heat a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add the olive oil and the garlic. Cook the garlic until it begins to turn golden brown, stand back and add the basil leaves (they will pop and splatter slightly). Fry the basil until crisp. Using a slotted spoon remove the basil and garlic to a plate lined with a few layers of paper towel, season lightly with salt and reserve the oil.
To serve: ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with a few crispy basil leaves, slices of fried garlic, and a drizzle of the reserved oil.
Serve this soup as the perfect partner to a hot grilled cheese Panini.

Side Dish: Nicole
Ravioli with Butternut Squash, Sage and Hazelnuts in a Marsala Sauce

6 Ts shallots, chopped
1 ½ c hazelnuts, toasted and crushed
5 c Marsala cooking wine
2 c white wine
1 pound cold butter, cubed
1 bunch sage, chopped
2 T olive oil

Cook the shallots and hazelnuts in a medium-sized saucepan. When the shallots become translucent, add all of the Marsala and white wine to begin reducing. Reduce until there is about two c of liquid remaining. Reduce heat to a high simmer and begin adding the butter very slowly, stirring constantly. Once all of the butter has melted into the sauce, add the sage.
Cook the ravioli (recipe follows) and toss with olive oil. Add the freshly made Marsala Sauce and serve.

Ravioli
Pre-made butternut squash ravioli can be purchased at local pasta shops during the fall, or you can make your own. A good recipe from the Food Network's Emeril Lagasse follows:

3 T minced shallots
1 c roasted butternut squash puree
3 T heavy cream
3 T grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus 2 ounces
1 recipe pasta dough, rolled out into wide ribbons, about 1/4-inch thick
1 T finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Pinch nutmeg
Freshly ground white pepper
Salt

In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, melt 1 T of the butter. Add the shallots and sauté for 1 minute. Add the squash puree and cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 Ts cheese and nutmeg, to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.

Cut the pasta ribbons into 3-inch squares. Place 2 tsp of the filling in the center of each pasta square. Bring 1 corner of the square to the other, forming a triangle and seal the pasta completely. Add the pasta to pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes or until the pasta floats and is pale in color.**
Remove the pasta from the water and drain well. Season the pasta with salt and pepper.
**Editor's Note: You can also use pre-made wonton wrappers instead of making your own pasta
Makes 6 servings. Enjoy!

Entrée: Colleen
Margarita Pizza:

Bread Machine Basic Dough
1 1/3 c water
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
3 ½ c unbleached all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1 ½ t salt
2 t SAF yeast

put ingredients into bread machine on dough cycle. remove immediately at end of cycle. divide into desired # of portions. knead a few times and cover with a damp towel to rest for 30 minutes. can refrigerate 24 hours and let rest for 20 minutes before using.

Sauce:
~2 T olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic sliced thin
1 can diced tomatoes

heat oil. add garlic and sauté for 60 seconds or so. add tomatoes and reduce until liquid has evaporated and sauce is thick and will not run when moved with a spoon. (hope that makes sense).

Toppings:
fresh tomatoes sliced thin
fresh mozzarella sliced thin
fresh basil sliced in strips

assemble pizza and bake at 450 until crush is golden brown. (7-20 minutes depending on thickness of crust)

For the Goat cheese Pizza:

Blue Corn Meal Crust
1 ½ c water
¼ c olive oil
3 2/3 c flour
1/3 c cornmeal
1 t salt
2 t yeast

follow same directions as above. When I made this crust I was surprised because it was very, very sticky and I ended up having to add quite a bit more flour. I didn't measure. sorry!

Rosemary infused olive oil:
add chopped fresh rosemary and garlic to olive oil and infuse at least over night. I didn't measure this either.

Caramelized onions:
small onion - slice in 1/4 inch rings
several T olive oil
sugar
vinegar

heat oil. add onions, sprinkle lightly with sugar and sauté over medium heat stirring frequently until onions are caramel in color (maybe 20 minutes or more?). when nearly finished, add a splash of vinegar and cook for about another minute. cool completely.

toppings:
light layer of mozzarella cheese
caramelized onions
thinly sliced pear (I coated in OJ to preserve color for travel)
thinly sliced dried fig
crumpled goat cheese

Dessert: Mariah
Poached Pears with Chocolate Carmel Sauce

1 c pear nectar
1 c dry white wine
½ c honey
4 slightly under-ripe pears, peeled, halved, cored
4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
Vanilla ice cream or Good Karma Rice Cream

Stir pear nectar, white wine and sugar in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and syrup comes to boil. Add pears to syrup in saucepan. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until pears are tender, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Increase heat to medium-high and boil poaching liquid until reduced to 3/4 c, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until chocolate melts and sauce is smooth.
Place 1 warm pear half, cut side up, on each plate. Top with vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce. Or cover pears and chocolate sauce separately and refrigerate up to 2 days; then serve pears cold with ice cream and sauce, rewarming sauce, if desired.

WildCard: Aven
Gorgeous handmade grape earrings for all.


Lottery: Ashley
Bottle corks – prize winner received a bottle opener!