Thought for Food

I made this Emeril treat for a group of friends Friday evening. Easy to make and went over very well. Being non-drinkers, I substituted some frozen orange concentrate for the grand marnier in the coulis.

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped almonds, lightly toasted
1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed if frozen
1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons water to make an egg wash
No Cook Strawberry Coulis, recipe follows
Confectioners' sugar, garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine the chocolate, almonds, and coconut.

On a lightly floured surface, unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry. Roll out to a rectangle 8 by 16-inches. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 equal squares.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the chocolate mixture in the center of each square. With a pastry brush, brush the edges of the square with the egg wash. Bring the corners of the pastry up and over the filling, and twist and squeeze together to form a purse. Fan out the corners of the pastry and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and bake until golden brown and the filling is melted, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and arrange on dessert plates. Serve with strawberry sauce and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve hot.

No Cook Strawberry Coulis:
1 pint strawberries, hulled
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons grand marnier
2 tablespoons sugar, or more, to taste
Water, to thin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add a little water, if necessary, to thin. Strain into a clean bowl. [Emeril Live]

Technorati Tags: Baking, Recipes, Chocolate

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Serves 4-6

3/4 lb lasagnette (you can also use tagliatelle or fettucine)
1 lemon
4 T olive oil
4 shallots or 1 very small onion (about 1/3 cup chopped)
1 T paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the lemon and grate the rind then juice the lemon. Peel and chop up onions or shallots. In a skillet saute the onion in the olive oil, when tender but not brown, add the lemon juice and grated rind and paprika. Toss the pasta in the pan with the sauce, adding some of the pasta water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. [Cooking With Amy]

Technorati Tags: Cooking, Recipes, Pasta, Italian

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1-1/2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 pkg. baby carrots
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1-1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup apple juice

Combine everything in a 3-1/2 quart slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours (high for 4-5 hours). Discard bay leaf.

1 8-oz. carton sour cream (low fat is fine)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup water

Combine sour cream, water, and flour in medium bowl and mix well, using a whisk. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid from the crockpot to the sour cream mixture and stir until combined. Return the whole thing to the crockpot mixture and stir well. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes until thickened and bubbly.

Serve over hot cooked egg noodles.

Technorati Tags: Cooking, Recipes, Stew, Slow-Cooker, One-Pot Meals

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)