Recipe: Meyer Lemon Cream with Graham Crackers and Sea Salt

Meyer Lemon Cream with Graham Crackers and Sea Salt
Bon Appetit, February 2014, p. 41
4 stars

I wanted dessert but didn't want to try out a recipe that took more than 30 minutes to make.  I found this one, and while I'm not a huge fan of fruit desserts (I prefer chocolate!), I thought I'd give this a try since "active recipe time" was 20 min, and we already had graham crackers and heavy cream in the house.

This recipe turned out great.

(Photo above shows the dessert to be messy . . .  but note that we stopped a movie we were watching to quickly get dessert.  I didn't compose the dish at all.)

This recipe is SIMPLE!

Here is the ingredient list:  eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, unsalted butter, heavy cream, graham crackers, flaky sea salt

Tips:

• I cooked the mixture for 9 minutes
• We made whipped cream for the top

Recipe: Shrimp Cotija Cheese with Hatch Chiles

Shrimp and Cotija Cheese Stuffed Hatch Chiles
Central Market Recipe by Chef Dean Liesenfelt

As you can see from the photo, we didn't stuff the Hatch chiles.  (How the heck do people stuff them when this type of chile is so thin and delicate?  They're not like chile rellenos or poblanos that are larger.)

We took the recipe and modified it to create a casserole-like dish.  This had amazing flavor, is healthy(!) and would go very well with rice.

Ingredients include:  Hatch chiles, fresh spinach, shrimp, Cotija cheese, olive oil, garlic, ancho chile powder, lemon juice & zest, crushed red pepper, salt, Mexican crema

Few notes:

• In the pan, don't cook the shrimp until they're completely done.  Since the dish is baked, the shrimp will finish cooking in the oven.
• Added guajillo chile powder in addition to ancho chile
• Go light on the salt -- cotija is a salty cheese
• Bake it for 25 min (instead of 30)

Recipe: Rick Bayless' Mexican Flourless Chocolate Cake

Mexican Flourless Chocolate Cake
RickBayless.com
4 stars

I forgot to take a photo of this!  Sometimes I get carried away and forget . . .

This is a wonderful recipe that is quite easy to make and is a nice twist on the normal flourless chocolate cake.  I like how this one doesn't call for a springform pan -- it suggests 6 coffee cups (individual portions!).  In addition, I love the use of Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, ancho chile powder, Kahlua and Mexican crema.

I've basically just listed all of the ingredients above.  The other ingredients are butter, bittersweet chocolate, eggs and sugar.

Try it.  You'll like it!

Recipe: Honey-ginger Chicken with Lime

Honey-ginger Chicken with Lime
Food and Wine Magazine, July 2014, p. 113 (photo), 114 (recipe)
4 stars

Tired of the same old ho-hum chicken?  Feeling like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight?

This recipe has so much flavor!

Check out the ingredient list:  chicken, ginger, jalapeno, honey, balsamic vinegar, garam masala, coriander, cumin, cayenne, lime zest, lime juice, butter, canola oil, sugar, salt, pepper

An easy dish that we'll definitely make again.  As you can see from the photo above, we served this with green beans and brown rice.

Also, we used chicken breasts instead of drumsticks and thighs.
Note to self:  Need to brine the chicken next time.

Recipe: Decadent Chocolate-Espresso Pie

Decadent Chocolate-Espresso Pie

Country Living, September 2014, p. 101

4 stars

Don't these photos just make your mouth water?  Don't you want some pie now?

This is Anna Jones's winning pie at the 2013 State Fair of Texas!

Really easy and talk about decadent.  I can only eat half the size of a normal pie slice because it's so rich.

Great espresso flavor and pretty too!

I have to admit that I wasn't too sure of this recipe when I read it.  The use of 1/3 cup of cornstarch was a little odd, but it turned out great!

The filling ingredients include:  milk, cornstarch, sugar, salt, instant espresso powder, egg yolks, vanilla, semisweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate.

The espresso whipped cream can be used on other desserts and is solely whipping cream, powdered sugar and espresso powder.

I used an America's Test Kitchen all butter pie crust recipe for the piecrust (instead of the Perfect Piecrust recipe which uses shortening which I'm not in favor of).

Recipe: Fruit Tarts with Honey and Black Pepper

Plum Tarts with Honey and Black Pepper
Bon Appetit, July 2014, p.36
4 stars

A super easy and quick dessert!  As you can see, we made 2 different kinds -- and with PEACHES instead of plums.  This was a great way to use up leftover puff pastry.

We made this recipe which was just 6 ingredients:  puff pastry, peaches, sugar, honey, black pepper, Maldon sea salt.

And we made our own:  puff pastry, peaches, cinnamon, sugar.

Afraid to bake or mess up a dessert?  This recipe is for you!

Drink Recipe: Peach Bourbon Ginger Cocktail

I saw a recipe for something like this but came up with my own version:

• 1.5 oz of Bourbon (I used Knob Creek which has a smoky flavor)
• 1 oz of Dekuyper Peach Schnapps
• Squeeze of lemon 
• Top with Fever Tree Ginger Beer
• A few dashes of bitters

Refreshing for the summer but using a brown spirit!

Recipe: Bouchon Bakery's Shortbread

Bouchon Bakery, p. 44-45
Shortbread
4.5 stars

I'm not a shortbread kind of person unless it's dipped in chocolate!  If I'm going to eat dessert calories, I'm not going to waste them on a cookie that I personally think is boring and on the dry side.  Shortbread and pecan sandies just aren't my thing.

However, I made this recipe for my co-worker who loves shortbread.  Thought it was going to be super easy (the ingredients include just butter, sugar, salt vanilla paste, all-purpose flour), but I had issues after making the dough.

It says that the dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

The recipe then says:  "Unwrap the dough and place it between 2 pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap.  With a rolling pin, pound the top of the dough, working from left to right, to begin to flatten it, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat.  (This will help prevent the dough from cracking as it is rolled.)  Roll out to a 9-inch square.  If the dough has softened, slide it (in the parchment) onto the back of a sheet pan and refrigerate it until it is firm enough to score."

Sounds easy enough.  But do you know how HARD the dough was?  It was like beating a freakin' rock with the rolling pin.  Perhaps he should've said to let it soften just a tad to where it's somewhat malleable.

Anyhow, I like regular sized cookies, so I made a dozen though the recipe says it produces 2 dozen.

My co-worked and people at work raved about the shortbread and asked for the recipe, so I'll take their word for it that it was good!

Recipe: Thai Beef with Basil

We added extra carrots

Thai Beef with Basil
Bon Appetit, November 2013, p.54
3 stars

I thought this would be super flavorful and delicious, but it felt like it was missing something.  It was.  HEAT!

I'm willing to make this recipe again but will definitely add sambal oelek or sriracha to the sauce.

Also, we'll use ground beef (what the recipe calls for) instead of ground pork.

Ingredients include:  rice, 1 lb ground beef, carrots, basil, scallions red chiles, chicken broth, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, vegetable oil, salt, pepper