Savory Baked Apples

Here is a wonderful Autumn into Winter dish full of comfort and flavor. This is not a dish for a busy weekday night, but if you are looking to serve something delicious on a special occasion or just want some cozy food on a chilly weekend night, give it a try... you'll love it! I served this with Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.

*Honeycrisp apples also hold their shape well when baked*

Savory Baked Apples

Coo.king Lig.ht November 2011

2/3 cups free range chicken broth

1/3 cup uncooked brown rice

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup apple cider

4 - 6 large Rome apples, cored (I had 4 medium/large and had left over filling)

1 1/2 TBS butter, melted and divided

1 (4 oz) link sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1/3 cup finely chopped carrot

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced (I skipped this ...)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (added the walnuts but did not toast)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried rubbed sage

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Bring broth to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 - 50 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.

3. Combine cranberries and cider in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let stand 10 minutes. Add mixture to rice.

4. Using a small spoon or small melon baller, carefully scoop out centers of apples, leaving 1/2 inch-thick shell, and chop apple flesh. Brush the inside of the apples with 1 TBS butter. Place apples on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until just tender. Remove from oven.

5. Pre-heat broiler to high.

6. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, and saute 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Remove from pan. Add chopped apple, yellow onion and next three ingredients (through pepper); saute 4 minutes. Add garlic; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sausage, onion mixture, walnuts and next 3 ingredients (through sage) to rice. Stir. Carefully spoon mixture into apples and top with cheese. Broil 5 minutes until golden.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Now that Autumn is here it is time to cook up some cozy dishes. I always get so excited when switching up my recipes from summer dishes to cool weather food. It's like welcoming in the new season.

I made this new recipe last night and it is easy and delicious. The only trick to making risotto is the commitment to stand over the pot and stir ... the entire time. Other than that it is super easy, so give this dish a try. You will love it!

Butternut Squash Risotto (Cooking Light 2011)

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

3 1/2 cups veggie or chicken broth

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 cups uncooked Arborio rice

1 - 2 TBS chopped fresh flat-leaf parsey

4 oz applewood-smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

1. Combine 2 cups squash, 1 clove garlic and 2 1/2 cups water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, let stand another 5 minutes.

2. Place squash mixture in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return mixture to pan.

3. Stir in broth and bring to a simmer. Keep pan warm over low heat.

4. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over med-high heat. Coat pan with a small amount of olive oil. Add rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 1 cup squash, 2 1/2 cups squash mixture and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. STIR!

5. Add remaining squash mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring until each cup is nearly absorbed before adding the next. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and bacon.

Risotto is best served immediately. It tends to get sticky and thick if allowed to sit for awhile. I served this with an autumn salad and garlic bread.

Arugula pizza with ricotta cheese and poached eggs

Here is a lovely way to make pizza without the usual red sauce. This is perfect for a busy day kind of meal as it can be prepared quickly. I used Trad.er Joe.s pizza dough but you can opt for an even quicker roll out crust such as Pills.bury if you like.

Arugula pizza with ricotta and poached eggs

1 bag refrigerated pizza dough (if TJ's is used, be sure to divide it in two and allow to sit at room temp 30 minute before using)

16 oz container part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup shaved fresh Romano cheese, divided

1 TBS white wine vinegar

6 large eggs

2 cups or so arugula

4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp grated fresh lemon rind

1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Work pizza dough into a thin flat circle by rolling out on a floured work surface

3. Place dough on pizza pan and place in oven and bake about 7 minutes until lightly golden.

4. Combine ricotta and 1/4 cup cheese.

5. Remove pizza crust from oven and spread ricotta mixture evenly over crusts leaving 1/2 inch border around the edges. Return to oven and bake 5 more minutes or until crust looks nice and done.

6. While pizza bakes, add water to a large skillet, filling 2/3 full. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer. Add vinegar. Break each egg into a custard cup, and pour gently into pan. Cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon. Set aside.

7. Combine arugula, remaining 1/4 cup Romano cheese, and the next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Toss well. Top pizza with arugula mixture and eggs. Sprinkle with pepper. Cut into 6 slices.

Chocolate Puddin' Pie

This is for all you chocolate lovers out there. Get ready because this chocolate puddin' pie is AMAZING and rich and smooth and deeeeeelicious! Coo'king Li'ght inspired!

Crust:

Chocolate wafers (I estimated 3 - 4 hand fulls ... the recipe calls for 30 but it really depends on the size of the wafer - I used the chocolate kitty cookies from Trader Joes)

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

2 TBS butter, melted

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup reduced fat milk, divided

2 large egg yolks

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 TBS rum (I used dark but the recipe calls for white)

whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp sugar

1. To prepare crust, place wafers in food processor, process until finely ground. Add 3 oz melted chocolate and butter, process until blended. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze the plate 15minutes or until set.

2. To prepare the filling, combine sugar, cornstarch, coca, and salt in a large saucepan. Stir with a whisk. Add half of milk and 2 yolks, stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir in the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes OR until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 4 oz chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in rum. Pour filling into prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving sides loose to vent. Chill 4 hours or until set.

3. While pie cools, make whipped cream by pouring the whipping cream into a bowl, add vanilla and sugar, beat on high until fluffy. Cover and set in fridge until dessert time then top pie with whip cream!

Lemon zested shrimp salad

Here is a lovely dish for late summer. Refreshing, easy and full of wonderful veggies and if you are lucky to live near (or near enough) the coast, local shrimp! This recipe was found in Cook.ing Lig.ht 2010 and modified by me.

Lemon zested shrimp salad

12 oz multi-color corkscrew pasta

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

1 clove garlic, mashed

lemon juice of 1/2 lemon

pinch of salt

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

3/4 cup sliced celery

1 avocado, chopped *

1 pablano pepper, seeded and chopped

2 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped

2 TBS grated lemon rind

3 TBS fresh lemon juice

5 - 6 TBS Extra virgin olive oil

salt/ pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain again.

2. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil. While skillet heats, drizzle the lemon juice from the lemon half over shrimp then sprinkle with a bit of salt. Add shrimp to skillet and saute 2 minutes on each side. Add mashed garlic during the last minute of cooking, giving a nice stir around just before removing shrimp from pan. Let shrimp cool a little bit.

3. Combine pasta, tomatoes and remaining ingredients through cilantro.

4. Mix together olive oil, lemon ride and juice, salt/ pepper. Stir with a whisk until combined.

5. Add shrimp to pasta mix and drizzle dressing over salad, stirring to coat.

* Because avocado turns funky in a short time, I tend to leave it out and add to individual salads just before serving. This keeps any leftovers from having icky looking avocado to pick out.

Roasted Banana Puddin'

If you love banana puddin' as much as I do, you have to try this recipe. It's amazing. Really. I had never roasted bananas before but it was easy so don't be put off by this unusual step. The bananas will turn black on the outside and soft on the inside.

This recipe appeared in Cookin.g Ligh.t August 2011. I made some alterations including making my own whipped cream rather than use frozen whipped topping. I also used slightly less sugar than is listed below as well as deciding it is not worth the time to roast the remaining bananas for an additional 20 minutes. If you like sweet use the full 2/3 cups sugar, if you like a little-bit sweet use less. I also listed the specific kind of vanilla wafers and whipping cream I used but understand those folks who are not local will have to use whatever brand they can find.

Roasted Banana Puddin'

6 ripe unpeeled bananas

2 cups 2% milk

2/3 cup sugar, divided

2 TBS cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 TBS butter

3 tsp vanilla extract, divided

1 pint whipping cream (Maple View dairy)

vanilla wafers (Trader Jo.es)

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place 4 bananas on a jelly-roll pan covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Carefully peel and place the bananas in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.

(the recipe calls for removing 3 of the bananas and to continue to roast the remaining bananas for an additional 20 minutes. I did this but could not really tell the difference in taste or texture and recommend removing all the bananas at this time)

3. Peel remaining 2 un-roasted bananas and slice. Set aside.

4. Combine milk and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly (do NOT boil). I used a scant 1/3 cup of sugar.

5. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir well with a whisk. Gradually add hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Return mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 3 minutes). Add mashed bananas, butter and 2 tsp. vanilla, stirring until butter melts. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until mixture comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

6. Spread 1 cup custard evening over the bottom of 11X7 inch baking dish. Top with some vanilla wafers and some banana slices. Repeat layers ending with wafers. Refrigerate for 1 hour until chilled.

7. While dish is cooling, make the whipped cream. Pour whipping cream into a large bowl, add ~ 1 tsp. sugar (or more to taste) and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, whip on med-high or high until fluffy and peaks can be formed. Spread over banana puddin' before serving.

ENJOY!

Cheese Making

My girlfriends and I embarked upon a mozzarella cheese making adventure this weekend. Having read the wonderful and inspiring book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, we really wanted to try her 30-minute mozzarella recipe. After months and months of talking about making cheese, we finally did!

While I had my doubts about mozzarella being made in 30 minutes, it is true. The recipe is easy and the cheese tasty. I'm lucky to have a foodie friend that just happened to have rennet and citric acid to share.

We used 1/2 gallon of 2% milk and 1/2 gallon of whole milk from a local dairy. This seemed to work out well since the recipe does not specify fat content of the milk. We also realized that it may be good to save some whey to store extra mozzarella as it dries out in the fridge. If you don't want to store it in whey, try making an olive oil marinade with some spices...

So, tie on your aprons and make some cheese!

30-minute mozzarella (as written in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver)

Measure out all additives before you start, in clean glass or ceramic cups. Use unchlorinated water.

1 gallon pasteurized milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized)
1 1/2 level teaspoons citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water

Stir the milk on the stove in a stainless steal kettle, heating very gently. At 55 degrees add the citric acid solution and mix thoroughly. At 88 degrees it should begin to curdle.

1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet, diluted in 1/4 cup cool water

Gently stir in diluted rennet with up-and-down motion, and continue heating the milk to just over 100 degrees then turn off the heat. Curds should be pulling away from sides of pot, ready to scoop out. The whey should be clear (if it is milky, wait a few minutes).

Use a large slotted spoon or ladle to move curds from the pot to a 2 qt. microwaveable bowl. Press curds gently with hands to remove as much whey as possible, and pour it off. Microwave the curds on high for one minute, then knead the cheese again with hands or a spoon to remove more whey (Rubber gloves help - this gets hot!). Microwave 2 more times (about 35 seconds each), kneading between each heating.

At this point, salt the cheese to taste, then knead and pull until it's smooth and elastic. When you can stretch it into ropes like taffy, you are done. If the curds break instead, they need to be reheated a little bit. Once cheese is smooth and shiny, roll it into small balls to eat warm or store for later in the refrigerator.

Lacking a microwave, you can use the pot of hot whey on the stove from the heating-and-kneading steps. Put the ball of curd back in with a big slotted spoon, and heat it until it's almost too hot to touch. Good stretching temp is 175 degrees.