Crème Caramel

I got my first french cookbook; Paris Bistro Cooking by Linda Dannenberg. Had it for a while but never attempted any recipes until now. Only because I made something similar to this a while back. I know someone who could make an good flan. Similar to a Crème Caramel it has milk, eggs, and sugar and is cooked in a water dish. I'm looking forward to cooking more french dishes soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Quart Milk

2 Vanilla Beans, Split Lengthwise, or 3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 Cups Sugar (divided)

3 Tablespoons Water

1 Drop Vinegar or lemon Juice

8 Large Eggs

Yolks of 4 Large Eggs

Small Pinch Salt

Directions:

In a larger saucepan over low heat, scald the milk with the vanilla beans. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Then remove the vanilla beans and discard.

Caramelize an 8-cup mold; Place 1/2 cup of the sugar, the water, and vinegar or lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until golden.

Carefully pour into the mold and tilt the mold to coat the bottom with caramel. let the caramel harden.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place the eggs, yolks, the 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and salt in a bowl; whisk together until the mixture thickens and is pale yellow. Strain the milk into the egg mixture and stir it to blend. Pour the custard mixture very carefully into the previously caramelized mold.

Place the mold in a larger pan, place the pan on the oven rack, and fill the pan with hot water to come halfway up the mold. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the custard is set when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool, then refrigerate. to serve, run a knife around the edge of the mold. Invert the mold onto a deep serving dish. the caramel will run out and fill the dish.

Turkey Chili

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion chopped

1 1/4 pound ground turkey

3 crushed garlic cloves

2-3 chopped Thai chilies or 1 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoons pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups black beans that were soaked over night or 2 cans black beans

2 cups corn

10 oz frozen spinach defrosted or Kale

Directions:

Heat pot over high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil then add the onion; cook till onion is translucent. Add turkey, garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. When turkey is cooked through add sugar, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, broth and beans, cook for 15 min on medium heat covered. When beans are soft add corn and spinach and cooked covered for 10 minutes.

  

Thai Green Curry

Ingredients:

3 cups coconut milk

2/3 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons green curry paste

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

2 garlic cloves minced

6 red potatoes chopped and boiled (optional)

2 cups cooked chicken

2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup corn

1 cup sweet peas

1 large bunch Thai basil torn up

Directions:

Add coconut milk, broth, and curry paste to a large pot. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, potatoes, chicken, fish sauce and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes. Add corn, peas, and basil. Cook for another 5 minutes.

You can use shrimp in place of the chicken but make sure its uncooked and add it the last 5 minutes of cooking. Also you can take out the potatoes if your serving this with a different starch, My favorite is over Jasmine rice. You should taste while you cook to alter the sauce to your liking. You can also switch out the corn and peas for red and green bell peppers, and I don't add salt because the fish sauce has enough. 

French Bread

Ingredients for 1 1/2 pound loaf:

1 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions for bread machine:

Place all ingredients into bread pan select dough setting and start. When machine stops shape dough into long baguette of 6 french rolls. Dust top with a little flour; rub it in. Place loaf on a cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal. Slash the tops of the rolls or baguette about 1/2 inch deep. Cover and let rise in warm area for 30 to 45 minutes until doubled.

Place a pan of hot water on the bottom rack in oven. (this is for a crisp crust)  Preheat oven to 450 and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Quick Herb Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk (or buttermilk if on hand)

2 tablespoons mayo

1-2 teaspoon fresh herbs of your choice (thyme and sage work well)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin tins. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In separate bowl mix milk, mayo, and herbs. Stir wet ingredients into dry with a fork, making sure not to over stir. Scoop dough evenly into muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients:

10 medium-sized red-skinned potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 placing the rack in the middle of the oven.  Cut the unpeeled potatoes into 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl.  Add olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.  Pour the potatoes onto the baking sheet so that they lie in a single layer.  Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown on the outside and tender when pierced with a fork.

Chocolate cupcakes

 This is a great moist chocolate recipe. You can make this into a cake or bake in larger pans for muffins. These are great with a peanut butter or vanilla butter cream frosting.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees  Line a couple cupcake pans. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar . Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 1/3 full.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  

Tip: For Mint Chocolate Cupcakes add 1/4 cup chocolate mint chopped to the batter. 

Sautéed Peas with Mint

Simple side dish, yet very tasty. The peas will taste better if there fresh but you can substitute it for 1 lb of frozen peas;thawed.

Ingredients:

3 cups shelled English peas

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped mint

salt and pepper

Directions:

Saute peas in oil over medium heat. Stirring occasionally until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in mint and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup butter room temperature but not melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk

Directions   

In mixer, whisk together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients 

2 cups chocolate chips, divided in two parts

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions
Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper cups.

Place 1/2 chocolate chips in a microwave safe container. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spoon melted chocolate into muffin cups Cool in the refrigerator until firm. In a separate bowl mix together peanut butter, confectioners' sugar and salt. divide into the chocolate cups. Melt the remaining chocolate, and spoon over peanut butter. Refrigerate till firm.

Tip..Spray Pam on spoons used to fill cups, so nothing sticks.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe makes 48 cookies but can be halved if needed. The baking time makes the cookies slightly undercooked. I do this so the cookies are soft and chewy, you can cook longer if you want. Any extras can be freezed in a sealed container for up to 3 weeks.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1/2 cup super fine sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease your baking sheets. Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix till no dry flour left. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon dough onto baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Orzo Pasta Salad

This is a great dish to bring for a pot luck or to take as a lunch for a family day. Make this dish a day ahead so the pasta soaks up the flavors. 

Ingredients:

16 oz Orzo Pasta cooked according to pkg directions

1 15oz can black olives drained and sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half

3 tablespoons dried parsley

1-2 cups artichoke hearts marinated in oil quartered

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped chicken(if desired)

Directions:

Mix all in a large bowl; add oil from artichokes to mix easier. Top with feta cheese