Quick & Easy From Lexi

Prosciutto wrapped melon.

This is an Italian clasic it is sweet and savory all at the same time. Simple go tot he deli at the store and ask for a few pieces of thinnly sliced prosciutto (itallian salty aged lunch meat essentially only way better). Pick out a nice ripe melon. Dice and wrap small pieces of the prociutto around. Secure in place with a tooth pick or wrap and pop directly into mouth.


Italian grilled cheese

Foccia, farmers bread, regular bread or any day old bread at the store. Slice into pieces.
Add pesto (recipe in an earlier post of mine :-) to one side as a condoment.
Add slices of mozarella cheese.
(Optional) add a fresh slice of tomato or a few sun dried tomatoes.
Place under the broiler until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melty. If you have a really goo broiler then toast the bread first then add the topings and place back in for a few more seconds to melt the cheese without burning.
Eat warm and enjoy. To make a full meal add tomato soup, or a vegetable soup.


French Mac 'n' Cheese

2 pads butter
1-2 tbl flour
1/4 cup white wine (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or a dry pinot grigio)
1/4 cup reduced or sodium free chicken stock
1/4 cup cream
white cheddar cheese shredded
1/4 pkg of cream cheese
optional - dash of taragon
Pasta of your choice cooked per box instructions.

Make a traditional rue in the pan, add in the wine and chicken stock and reduce down to make a nice thick syrup (add taragon here if you are using it). Add cream and stir until it coats the back of the spoon , add cheese and stir in using figure 8 motion to prevent clumps. Add in pasta and stir to coat. Serve immediatly.


Fritata

1 runded loaf of bread (easter bread/wide loaf baggette/etc)
3 eggs
1 1/2 -2 cups cream
handfull finely chopped bell peppers
handfull cooked and diced breakfast sausage
frech diced tomatoes
diced asparagus
your choice of cheese (sharp cheddar shredded, mild cream cheese broken into clumps, etc)
S&P

Cut a hole out of top of bread and gut as if you were making a bread bowl for soup.
Combine all other ingred in a bowl and mix fully.
Pour egg, veggie and cheese mixture into bread bowl.
Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 25-30 min or until eggs are cooked through and firm (but not rubbery!)

Use bread inners for a side or toss in olive oil and your favorite spices, throw into the oven on a cookie sheet and make home made croutons for a salad!


Grilled PB&J

Make your standard PB&J sandwhich. Then either place in a toaster oven or grill in a pan like a grilled cheese sandwhich. The end result is a warm toasty sandwhich that is almost as good as desert! - The kids love this one!
- You can also do with peanut butter and banana sandwhiches for the kids!

Tuesday Night Denver Dinner Post

Quiche Lorraine & Pear/Apple Crisp

Quiche Lorraine
1 fully cooked crust (home made or store bought I used Julia Child's recipe from mastering the art of french cooking)

In a bowl combine:
3 eggs
1 1/2-2 cups heavy cream or fat free half and half
S&P
dash nutmeg (it's the wow factor in the background trust me!)
Crumbled fully cooked bacon (I used the reduced fat turkey bacon)
1-2 handfuls shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Pour into fully baked crust and cook in 375 degree oven for 25-30min or until eggs are cooked through (but soft not rubbery) and the top is slightly golden brown. Serve warm ad enjoy!!
This is a french favorite and I love it. I just can't deny my french roots :-)


Pear/Apple Crisp
This recipe usually calls for a 1-2 cups sugar and 2-4 tbl of flour or starch and can be found in the joy of cooking under apple pie/crisp. Here is the version I cooked last night.

2 peeled and diced pears
1 peeled and dices apple
3-4 tbl sugar
1 tbl cinnamon (or as you like)
1 dash nutmeg
2-3 dash of arrowroot
Stir and let set while you prepare the pie crust.

Crisp topping:
equal parts flour, butter, brown or white sugar, and dry oats.
Dash of salt.
Combine with fingers lightly.

1 partially cooked pie crust cooled. All tossed fruit and all juices from bowl to crust. Sprinkle crisp topping over fruit and bake at 350 for 30min.

I am not a huge fan or overly sweet deserts so this really hit the spot for me. If you like the idea of a desert with less sugar but feel like you need a little something extra at serving time try serving it over vanilla frozen yogurt or your favorite vanilla, caramel or butterscotch ice cream.

White Cheddar Mac'n'Cheese

Was digi-scrapping a few recipe cards for friends and thought I'd post this one as it isn't up on the site yet. Thanks Carrie, for showing me how to digi-scrap!

Hollandaise Sauce

Julia Child's Hollandaise
This sauce is wonderful over eggs, asparagus, broccoli, etc. Find different uses for it and enjoy!

Ingredients
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon water
1-2 tbl fresh lemon juice or orange juice
6-8 ounces very soft unsalted butter
fresh ground white pepper, to taste

Directions
Whisk the yolks, water, and lemon juice in the saucepan for a few moments, until thick and pale (this prepares them for what is to come).

Set the pan over moderately low heat and continue to whisk at reasonable speed, reaching all over the bottom and insides of the pan, where the eggs tend to overcook.

To moderate the heat, frequently move the pan off the burner for a few seconds, and then back on. (If, by chance, the eggs seem to be cooking too fast, set the pan in the bowl of cold water to cool the bottom, then continue).

As they cook, the eggs will become frothy and increase in volume, and then thicken. When you can see the pan bottom through the streaks of the whisk and the eggs are thick and smooth, remove from the heat.

By spoonfuls, add the soft butter, whisking constantly to incorporate each addition. As the emulsion forms, you may add the butter in slightly larger amounts, always whisking until fully absorbed. Continue incorporating butter until the sauce has thickened to the consistency you want.

Season lightly with pepper, whisking in well. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding droplets of lemon juice if needed. Serve lukewarm.

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Hallandaise via a blender
3 egg yolks
2 TB lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 stick (4 oz.) butter, melted until bubbling hot

Place egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper in blender. Cover and blend at high speed for 30 seconds. Uncover, and still blending at high speed, start pouring in the hot butter by droplets. Allow time for the butter to absorb and emulsify with eggs. When about two thirds of the butter has been added, you can pick up the pace a little more. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Supremes de Volaille a Blanc (Chicken breasts poached in butter)

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. Knopf, 1961.

We served this over risotto (Italian rice) with broccoli and hollandaise sauce as the side.

Ingredients:

Risotto
1 cup uncooked risotto
2 cans chicken stock (14oz cans)
3 pads butter

Supreme's (chicken cutlets or breasts)
4 thin boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
salt & pepper and (drops) lemon juice
4 tbsp. butter

Volaille a Blanc (Wine Sauce)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup Chardonnay
1 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper, and drops lemon juice
2 tbsp. minced parsley (for garnish)

Risotto: Combine 1can of stock, 1cup risotto and 3 pads butter in a pan and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer with lid on for 5-10min, as the risotto thickens slowly add 1/4 of the second can of stock at a time and allow to thicken on simmer. Cooking time approx. 20-30min depending on the stove you are cooking on. When done the risotto should be creamy and nutty.

For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400. Season meat with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Melt the butter in a pan or casserole that can go from the stove top tot eh oven and back again. Roll the chicken in the melted butter, and cover the surface of the casserole with wax paper. Place in oven for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the meat feels springy when you push on it. Remove from oven and remove chicken to a plate covered with foil to keep it warm.

For the sauce: Remove all but 1-2tbl of butter from the pan or casserole. Place the pan onto a burner on high. Pour stock and wine into a the saucepan and boil rapidly until liquid is syrupy. Then pour in the cream whisking rapidly as you stream it in and boil rapidly until lightly thickened (the right consistency coats the back of a spoon with a thin layer). Season with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice as needed.

Place risotto in the bottom of a serving dish, arrange chicken over the top and then poor the sauce over the whole thing. Sprinkle garnish over top for color and serve hot.