Fig Gorgonzola Bites

Gorgonzola fig bites

I have never been able to find fresh figs in Salt Lake City so use dried figs from Trader Joe's.  Either fig they carry works great.  I found this recipe on Marguerite Henderson's blog.
Ingredients:

12 whole black mission figs (or whatever kind of figs you can find)
1/4 pound Gorgonzola dolce (a soft, sweeter blue cheese) or use Cambozola cheese
24 hazelnuts (you can buy them roasted without skins at Trader Joe's)
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
ground black pepper

Directions:
Cut the figs in half lengthwise. Place on a baking sheet. Top each with about 1/2 teaspoon cheese and one hazelnut. Bake in 400o oven for 5 minutes until cheese is melted and the figs have warmed through.
Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle very lightly with vinegar and grind with black pepper. Serve at once.
Makes 24 figs bites.

DRIED PLUM & PROSCIUTTO APPETIZER

DRIED PLUM (Prune) & PROSCIUTTO APPETIZER - from my friend Elaine Case

This is about as easy as it gets to make a really, really, tasty appetizer.

1. Place a single Thai Basil (or regular sweet basil) leaf on each dried plum. Place a small piece of Aged White Cheddar Cheese (or other sharp cheese) on top of the basil leaf.
   
2. Cut Prosciutto slices into strips about 3/4" wide x 3" long.
   
3. Wrap prosciutto strips around each dried plum, keeping the basil & cheese in place.  Arrange artfully on a platter, seam-side down (a white platter really shows off the colors of the food!)
   
4. Lightly drizzle Honey and /or Balsamic Vinegar over the wrapped plums.
   
5. Lightly sprinkle with minced fresh Rosemary (optional)
   
6. Add a few sprigs of fresh Basil or Rosemary to garnish the platter (optional)

Curried French Lentils

This hearty dish is pretty easy to make and very filling.  With a green salad and whole grain bread, you have a meal. From Straight Up Foods.

Ingredients
6 cups water
1 cup French Green lentils (see chart below)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 small yam or sweet potato, diced (about two cups)
2 cups small cauliflower florets
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 can (14.5-oz.) diced, salt-free tomatoes
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons dried green herbs (like a French or Italian blend)
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
4 cups greens cut into bite-size pieces (like kale, chard, spinach, collards, beet greens)

Directions
1. In a soup pot on high, bring the water and lentils to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes (a low boil).

2. Add the onion, yam/sweet potato, cauliflower, celery, tomatoes (including juice), and the four herbs and spices. Cook for 10 minutes at the same heat. Add greens, and cook for 5-10 more minutes (spinach, chard and beet greens won’t take as long to cook as kale or collard greens), until potatoes and greens are tender. Serve as is or over cooked brown rice.

Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4 (makes about 8 cups or 4 bowls)

Pomegranate Arugula Salad

I enjoy this colorful salad in the winter months when pomegranates are readily available.  Sometimes I toss in a handful of unsalted pistachios instead of walnuts or some avocado.  I found the recipe somewhere on the web...

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of pomegranate molasses (I get this at Whole Foods)
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups lightly packed arugula
1 pomegranate
1/4 cup Parmigiano-reggiano shavings
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1 shallot, sliced

Directions:

Combine molasses, lemon juice, honey and vinegar in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisk to emulsify.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss salad ingredients together and dress with vinaigrette.

Ricotta Tart

This is one of my favorite desserts and comes from Tuscany the Beautiful cookbook.  It is light and not too sweet. Serves 6.

Ricotta Tart with fresh berries

Ricotta Tart

Pastry
1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of granulate sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup of butter, softened--very important it is softened
1 egg

Filling
1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) ricotta
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat together with wooden spoon until the dough begins to come together in a ball. (I do this in a food processor instead of by hand.) if the dough is too dry, add milk, 1 tsp. at a time until a ball forms. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, to prepare the filling: combine ricotta, egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl and blend well. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, moist peaks form.  Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Use a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and grease the bottom with butter.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a round, about 10 1/2 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer it to the prepared tart pan and press gently against the bottom and sides. Trim the dough even within the tart pan.  Spoon the filling into the pastry shell and smooth the surface.  Bake the tart until golden, about 35-45 minutes (depending on your oven.)

Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer the tart to a platter and serve at room temperature. Top with fresh berries, if you like.

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Thyme

We never liked Brussels sprouts when we were kids because when mom boiled them, the house smelled like, well, farts, and smell has a lot to do with whether you want to eat something or not when you're a kid.  With the recent craze over Brussels sprouts and Food and Wine's myriad of ways to make them, how can you not find a recipe to your liking? This one is pretty easy as long as you have a food processor and they are delicious! I made half the dressing and stirred it in the pan after they were done cooking--perfect--according to my taste.

Contributed by Nuno Mendes

• TOTAL TIME: 20 MIN
• SERVINGS: 4

Chef Nuno Mendes separates brussels sprout leaves by hand before sautéing them, an extremely time-consuming task. Thinly slicing the sprouts vertically—by hand or with a food processor fitted with a slicing blade—gets similar results in a fraction of the time.

    1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
    1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    1 teaspoon thyme leaves
    1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
    Salt and freshly ground pepper
    1 pound brussels sprouts, thinly sliced lengthwise

    In a small bowl, whisk the mustard with the vinegar. Gradually whisk in the 1/4 cup of oil until emulsified. Add the thyme and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

    In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, until shimmering. Add the brussels sprouts and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and charred in spots, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the dressing. Transfer to a bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature, passing the extra dressing at the table.