gettin’ figgy with it

I’ve FINALLY gotten around to cooking with my other product sample so kindly sent to me by the nice folks at Oh! Nuts back in November. Time is getting away from me so often these days!

With a big bag of Calimyrna Jumbo Dried Figs at the ready (p.s. they really are BIG! not just good for cooking… but also great for snacking!), I decided to make a riff on one of my favorite appetizers from a local restaurant – crostini with pesto, brie, prosciutto and fig-cranberry compote.

This is an easy appetizer that looks very impressive. You can make it super-simple by using pre-made pesto and a fig jam – or you can make everything from scratch. My basil plant’s dead as a doornail, so I resorted to something in-between – using bottled pesto but making my own compote.

The complexity of flavors here is amazing… a little salty, a little sweet, a little savory. YUM. Prep these up to a couple of hours ahead of time and you can just pop them into the oven for a final toasting just before you’re ready to serve. Then… just stand back and wait for the raves.

Crostini with Pesto, Brie, Prosciutto and Fig-Cranberry Compote
(adapted from one of my favorite places - Tavola Trattoria) 
1 baguette, sliced on the bias
3-4 ounces of prepared pesto (bottled or your favorite recipe)
6 wedges Wee Brie, sliced thinly on the long side
7-8 slice prosciutto, sliced into 2-3 pcs per slice
Fig compote or fig spread (my fig-cranberry compote recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 4-6 minutes until very lightly toasted.

Remove from oven and layer on a smear of pesto, a slice of brie, a piece of prosciutto and compote onto each slice. Return to baking sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes until warmed through and bread crusts are golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm. (Makes approximately 24 appetizers.)

Fig-Cranberry Compote
1 cup dried figs, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
3/4 cup port wine
3-4 tablespoons honey
1/2 to 1 cup water (as needed)

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have popped, figs have softened, and port has reduced out. If mixture becomes too dry before it has reached the preferred consistency, add water as needed. Allow to cool before using.

culinary capers – raspberries, pt 2 of 2

Like I said in yesterday’s Culinary Capers post, I had one recipe left to go for this week’s challenge. Trust me when I tell you that I saved the best for last!

This starts out as a crockpot project – so you can set it and forget it until it’s time to make dinner. When you’re ready, everything will come together quickly for a great meal that’s impressive enough to serve to company!

You can certainly buy raspberry barbecue sauce if you can find it in your grocery store – but you won’t be disappointed if you make my version (just be sure you give yourself time to make it if – I threw mine together when I put my pork into the crockpot so that I didn’t have to worry about it later). It’s delicious!

Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
(makes approximately 2/3 cup)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 1/4 cups fresh raspberries
7 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons raspberry jam
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Place garlic on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil; drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Wrap foil around garlic and bake at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes.

Once cool, place roasted garlic in a small saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor or blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Brie and Raspberry Pork Tenderloin Quesadillas
with Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
(serves 4)
1-1.5 pound pre-seasoned raspberry-chipotle pork tenderloin
(recommended: Prairie Fresh Prime Raspberry Chipotle)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1/8-1/4 cup Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows), plus more for drizzling/dipping
4 thick flour tortillas
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese, shredded and divided
4 ounces of brie cheese, sliced and divided

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Pat tenderloin dry with paper towels and add to hot pan. Sear for 3-4 minutes each side.

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Add seared tenderloin, chicken stock and jam. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours until cooked through.

When tenderloin is completely cooked, remove to a plate and allow to rest. Carefully strain the cooking liquid through a strainer and into a small saucepan. Place saucepan of liquid over medium heat and allow to simmer until thick and reduced by 1/2 – approximately 15 minutes (your reduced sauce should be the thickness of a thin barbecue sauce).

While sauce reduces, return pork to crock and shred using two forks. Pour in reduced sauce plus 1/8 cup barbecue sauce. Stir to combine (sauces should just coat the meat – there should not be extra sauce in the bottom of the crock), adding additional barbecue sauce if needed.

Once meat is prepared, heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Brush one side of four tortillas with olive oil and place oil side down in skillet. Cover one-half of each tortilla with shredded pork, then shredded monterrey jack, then brie. Drizzle with additional barbecue sauce if desired. Fold tortilla carefully over filling and flip so that cheese side is down. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

culinary capers – raspberries, pt 1 of 2

An old friend of mine recently came up with the idea of starting a little group for folks who enjoy cooking… the process of creating something amazing in the kitchen… playing around with ingredients… and of presenting them beautifully. He threw the idea at me one day and we kicked around some ideas… and a few days later, the culinary capers were born.

We’ll pick one ingredient every week and group members will create and cook a recipe featuring that ingredient. Fun stuff (and a great way to get back into the swing of blogging)!

First ingredient… RASPBERRIES!

I had a hard time narrowing down all of my options this week… I blame too much time spent on the internet considering all of the possibilities. So, I settled on three recipes. That’s right. Three. I’ll share two today and another tomorrow (after I make it!). Enjoy!

First up… Raspberry Baked Brie. I adore baked brie. Creamy and warm in a flaky crust… perfection. Rather than make a huge one for just the two of us, I went with a mini for my husband and I to split. Three ingredients and thirty or so minutes later, we had an amazing, warm little appetizer to enjoy with crisp apple slices. Mmmm….

Next… the perfect welcome to Autumn (which seems to have finally arrived this week)… and just the thing for chasing away the chill of a very rainy day… Grilled Cheddar, Raspberry and Apple sandwiches. Crunchy, tangy, savory and just a little sweet all at once – these sandwiches were pretty amazing. The savory raspberry sauce is the perfect complement to the sharp cheese and the sourdough.

Raspberry Baked Brie
(serves 2)
1/3 of one sheet of puff pastry dough, thawed
1.5 tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam
1 ounce of brie (I used a wedge of Wee Brie)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place puff pastry dough on parchment-lined baking sheet. Drop jam into the center of the dough and place brie on top of the jam. Gather corners and seal  the dough around the filling completely.

Invert the dough-wrapped brie on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve with apple wedges and/or crackers.

***

Grilled Cheddar, Raspberry and Apple Sandwiches
(serves 2 – adapted from food.com) 
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon raspberry jam
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
5 ounces white cheddar cheese, sliced
1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
4 slices sourdough bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a food processor or blender, puree raspberries with raspberry jam. Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Once seeds have been removed, whisk raspberries with honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar. Pour into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until reduced by one-third to one-half. Remove from heat and allow to cool while assembling sandwiches.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Spread raspberry sauce on two slices of sourdough, layer 1.25 ounces of the cheese plus apple slices onto each slice. Top each slice with an additional 1.25 ounces of cheese and finish with a second slice of bread.

Place sandwiches carefully in warm skillet, turn heat to low and cook for approximately 5 minutes each side until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Serve any remaining raspberry sauce on the side for dipping.

ranch dip revised

I’ve been trying to find ways to learn to like cottage cheese. The going has been slow… and it occurred to me today that my two successful ventures have involved one key ingredient… ranch dressing. The first – subbing out part of my ranch dressing in my salad with cottage cheese. The second – this dip.

Oh sure, it probably not the healthiest thing, but it’s certainly better for me than a straight ranch diet, so I’ll take it. And, as opposed to classic ranch dip, this version is actually low in calories/fat and high in protein! That means you can have a treat later without the guilt!

Ranch Dip
1 16-oz container 2% or fat free cottage cheese
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 packet Hidden Valley ranch dip mix

Combine cottage cheese and milk in a food processor or blender and mix until creamy. Stir in the packet of ranch dip and thin with more milk until dip reaches desired consistency. Refrigerate at least 2 hours to allow flavors to meld. Serve with dippers of your choice.

Stuffed Dates

My friend G and I were in Dallas, Texas not too long ago on a pre-planned overnight stop on our way home from a workshop. When you live in a smaller town it’s always quite a treat to be able to stop off in larger metro area for a shopping fix — especially when you’re a foodie who has a hard time finding fairly basic things like arugula, sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), or anything other than Hershey’s cocoa powder in your local stores. So, after hitting a few really great restaurants and doing some damage at a great little antique shop and a requisite trip to the mall, I found myself shopping in heaven… piling beautiful fruits, veggies, baking ingredients and wine into my cart. One of my prized finds? Dates.  I’m really not sure why it took so long for me to get around to trying dates. Thirty-some years before discovering the goodness of a date? Seriously? I had no idea what I was missing.

It was barely a couple of days after I arrived home that I was digging out the goat cheese and creating magic in the kitchen. Not only are these stuffed dates gorgeous, they’re super easy and would be the perfect party appetizer! I had some leftover candied pecans, so I put them to use here. However, if you’re not inclined to go to the trouble, toasted pecans would be great (and if you still want that extra touch of sweet, you could drizzle the finished product with a tiny bit of honey — though the dates are plenty sweet on their own). You could also kick these babies up a notch by wrapping a piece of par-cooked bacon around them and baking them until the bacon is cooked through. I’ve had dates this way at a local restaurant, and I promise they won’t disappoint!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Candied Pecans
10 Mejdool dates
3-4 ounces soft goat cheese
3 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans (even better if you use the candied pecans from this salad!)

Slice dates open lengthwise and remove the pit. Fill with 1 teaspoon goat cheese and sprinkle with pecans. Drool and enjoy!

Microwave Potato Chips

Apologies for the prolonged silence… we’ve been trying to get over the plague (again) and the last thing on my mind has been food. Things are on the upswing, though, and I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, head over to FGG, grab a potato and make your own potato chips… that’s right… in the microwave!

fig and pecan tapenade with goat cheese – oh yeah!

Looking for the perfect appetizer for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday? Or… any holiday… any occasion… any day at all, really? Yeah. I’ve got it for you. Fig and Pecan Tapenade with Goat Cheese on Crackers (say that ten times fast). Go check ‘em out at FGG. You can thank me later.

What’s been going on at FGG?

I’ve been remiss about keeping you all up-to-date on what’s been going on over at FGG for Foodie Fridays. So, in case you haven’t been keeping up, or are looking for some more great recipes, allow me to get you up to speed…

First, there was the Pomegranite Granita. For those of you still enjoying the warmth of summer, this is a great, easy treat.

Then came Black Bean Burritos. Uber-healthy, so you don’t have to feel guilty about using real sour cream and full-fat cheese.

Molten Chocolate Cakes made a grand appearance when my need for emotional eating kicked in. Easy, decadent, and portion-controlled!

The following week featured Roasted Edamame — perfect for feeding that salty snack craving.

As the weather turned cooler, I turned to Stovetop Mac & Cheese for a little comfort.

We talked about the simplicity of good ingredients and made Bacon-Wrapped Scallops (check these out if you’re looking for a great appetizer for your upcoming holiday get-togethers!).

And, finally, this week we baked up some Chocolate Banana Bars. YUM.

I’m back in the kitchen this weekend, so there will be more fun to come soon!

there’s an app for that!

Looking for an easy appetizer? Head over to this week’s post at The Fat Girl’s Guide to Living for a great Brie Bruschetta!

polenta party… a belated part two

I have so many good intentions. Lots of big plans… to do a better job of staying in touch with family and friends… to focus more on keeping the house together… to stick to the exercise plan… to watch less tv… to blog regularly so you wonderful people keep coming by to see me. And yet… well, best laid plans and all that. Sometimes you just have to cut yourself a break, right? Who’s with me?

So… yeah, I had great intentions back in AUGUST (yes, almost nine months ago) to do a multi-part series on polenta. Life happened, time passed, and it seems I promptly forgot all about it until a week or so ago. I’m not sure where the photos of the third installment went to, but… for now… I think it’s a good time for part two! After all, who doesn’t need another appetizer recipe to add to their repetoire? Exactly.

Making polenta from scratch is wonderfully easy. You can use your favorite recipe, or feel free to use this one. To firm it up for use in this recipe, just pour it into a roll pan or baking dish, cover and chill. Or – for even easier execution, just buy a premade tube from your local grocery store (mine is sold in the dry pasta aisle) and you’re ready to slice and assemble. Either way, this is a great appetizer.

Polenta Stacks with Spinach and Gouda
(modified from Food Network)
1 recipe polenta, firmed up, recipe here – or pre-made tube
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
12 ounces baby spinach
Coarse salt
8 ounces gouda cheese, cut into thick slices
1 (15 1/2 ounce) jar marinara sauce

Position a rack about 6-inches from the broiler and preheat to high. Cut the polenta into 8 squares and transfer to a sheet pan. Pat dry with a paper towel and lightly brush with olive oil. Broil until tops are browned, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes, stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Put the spinach in the pan and season with salt, cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Reserve pan.

Divide the wilted spinach among each polenta square. Top each square with the cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese melts and just begins to brown, another 4 minutes.

Heat the sauce in the skillet used for the spinach. Ladle some sauce onto each of 4 plates. Place 2 polenta cakes in the middle of each plate and serve.